Historic Statues Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen taken sculptures were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, an authority told the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "events surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The chief of national security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He noted that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader.
All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the conflict.
The Islamic State group demolished numerous temples and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the destruction as a atrocity.
Many cultural items were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and museums.
