Historic Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The six taken sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official stated to the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that steps had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He added that guards at the museum and other persons were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the significant cultural treasures in Syria.
It features historical records originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a third century religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the beginning of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and stored at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up several religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. International authorities censured the demolition as a violation.
Numerous cultural items were also damaged or looted from archaeological sites and collections.
