Historic Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.
The half-dozen taken sculptures were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, a source told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that measures had been taken to improve safeguarding and observation methods.
The head of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He continued that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the primary historical artifacts in Syria.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the earliest writing system was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was removed and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, a month after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group destroyed multiple temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco censured the demolition as a war crime.
Countless cultural items were also lost or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.
