Ancient Sculptures Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen taken statues were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, a source informed the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been implemented to improve protection and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He added that security personnel at the facility and other individuals were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the primary cultural treasures in Syria.
It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was evacuated and stored at secure places to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, four weeks after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The Islamic State group destroyed numerous religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the demolition as a war crime.
Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and museums.
