Valuable Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when staff apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple taken statues were marble creations and dated back to the Roman period, a source stated to the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to strengthen security and surveillance.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He added that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, houses the most important cultural treasures in the country.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was removed and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, a month after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up several religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities censured the damage as a violation.
Numerous historical objects were also damaged or taken from historical locations and collections.