Valuable Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient statues and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman era, an authority told the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to strengthen safeguarding and observation methods.
The director of domestic security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He continued that security personnel at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, one of the most important ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was built at an ancient location.
The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the holdings was removed and preserved at secure places to protect them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up several temples and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from dig sites and collections.
