Ancient Statues Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient statues and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.
The multiple taken sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, a source informed the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that actions had been implemented to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He added that security personnel at the institution and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, houses the primary cultural treasures in Syria.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important historical locations of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was built at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, one year after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The IS organization demolished several ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco condemned the demolition as a violation.
Countless historical objects were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and collections.