Historic Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.
The half-dozen taken pieces were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, a source informed the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that steps had been implemented to improve security and surveillance.
The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He added that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, contains the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group destroyed several ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
