Ancient Artifacts Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The burglary was noticed on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple stolen statues were crafted from marble and traced back 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 establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that actions had been implemented to strengthen security and monitoring systems.
The chief of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He noted that security personnel at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the most ancient linguistic system was found; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and kept at secure places to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The IS organization blew up numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. Unesco censured the demolition as a war crime.
Countless cultural items were also damaged or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.