Valuable Statues Removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The six missing pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, a source stated to the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to improve protection and observation methods.
The chief of domestic security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that security forces were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He noted that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the most ancient linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was removed and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The militant faction blew up numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco condemned the demolition as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and museums.
