Valuable Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The burglary was discovered on Monday, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The six missing statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, an authority told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "events surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that actions had been taken to strengthen security and observation methods.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the institution and other persons were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, contains the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes historical records tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was found; early centuries CE ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at an ancient location.
The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was evacuated and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The IS organization blew up several religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the destruction as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also lost or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
