Historic Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient statues and other artefacts have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.
The multiple missing statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to improve safeguarding and observation methods.
The chief of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as declaring that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".
He added that guards at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the most important cultural treasures in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the most ancient writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at secure places to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.
The IS organization demolished numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the damage as a atrocity.
Many cultural items were also lost or taken from dig sites and collections.
