Ancient Sculptures Removed from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The burglary was noticed on Monday, when employees apparently found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.
The six taken pieces were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the news agency.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to strengthen safeguarding and surveillance.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He continued that guards at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, holds the most important archaeological collection in Syria.
It features historical records tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was found; early centuries CE classical statues from historical site, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was removed and kept at secure places to protect them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, a month after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.
All six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction blew up numerous religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the demolition as a war crime.
Countless cultural items were also lost or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.
