Ancient Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The six stolen pieces were marble creations and dated back to the Roman era, one official told the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He added that guards at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, contains the significant archaeological collection in the country.
It includes historical records dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE ancient art from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century synagogue that was built at another archaeological site.
The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.
The IS organization demolished several ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco censured the damage as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also damaged or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.
