Historic Artifacts Taken from the National Museum in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The six missing pieces were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to improve security and surveillance.
The head of domestic security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as declaring that authorities were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He continued that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It features historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from historical site, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was transferred and stored at secret locations to protect them.
It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a 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 internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the demolition as a violation.
Numerous cultural items were also damaged or looted from dig sites and collections.
