Historic Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen statues were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, an authority informed the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to improve protection and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as stating that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He continued that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents removed the Assad regime.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The militant faction destroyed several temples and historical sites at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also damaged or taken from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
