Valuable Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple missing pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source told the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He continued that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, houses the primary cultural treasures in Syria.
It features historical records originating to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest writing system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and preserved at secure places to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, a month after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction blew up several religious structures and other structures at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the destruction as a atrocity.
Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or taken from dig sites and cultural institutions.
