Ancient Statues Removed from the National Museum in Damascus

Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.

The half-dozen taken statues were marble creations and dated back to the Roman era, an authority informed the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been implemented to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He noted that guards at the facility and other persons were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, contains the most important archaeological collection in the country.

It contains historical records originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was established at an ancient location.

The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.

The IS organization demolished several religious structures and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the damage as a war crime.

Many historical objects were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and museums.