Valuable Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The burglary was found on Monday, when staff apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The six missing statues were made of marble and originated to the Roman period, a source stated to the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to improve protection and surveillance.
The director of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He added that guards at the institution and other individuals were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the primary cultural treasures in Syria.
It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where proof of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and kept at secure places to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The militant faction demolished several temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco censured the damage as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and museums.
