Historic Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient statues and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.
The six taken statues were marble creations and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official stated to the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that actions had been implemented to improve security and observation methods.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He continued that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important archaeological collection in Syria.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where indications of the earliest writing system was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at Dura Europos.
The institution was forced to close in 2012, one year after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up several ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. Unesco condemned the damage as a atrocity.
Countless cultural items were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and collections.
