Historic Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic artifacts and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.
The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.
The six missing sculptures were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, an authority informed the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen security and observation methods.
The head of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He added that security personnel at the museum and other persons were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader.
All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at the ancient city, stating that they were un-Islamic. Unesco censured the destruction as a violation.
Countless cultural items were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and collections.
