Valuable Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.
The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.
The multiple missing pieces were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to enhance security and observation methods.
The chief of internal security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He added that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the significant cultural treasures in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was established at another archaeological site.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The IS organization demolished several religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also damaged or stolen from historical locations and museums.