Ancient Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic artifacts and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.
The multiple stolen sculptures were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of exhibits", and that actions had been taken to enhance security and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He added that guards at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where indications of the oldest known writing system was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was transferred and kept at secure places to protect them.
It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partly ruined during the conflict.
The Islamic State group demolished multiple ancient buildings and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the damage as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also damaged or stolen from historical locations and collections.
