🔗 Share this article

Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.

The six stolen sculptures were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been taken to improve security and surveillance.

The head of internal security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as stating that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

He continued that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country.

It contains historical records originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.

The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was transferred and stored at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.

The Islamic State group demolished multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the demolition as a war crime.

Many historical objects were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.