Ancient Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when staff apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.
The six stolen statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that actions had been taken to improve protection and observation methods.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that authorities were examining the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.
The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the collection was evacuated and stored at secure places to protect them.
It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The IS organization demolished several temples and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a violation.
Countless artefacts were also lost or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
