Ancient Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.
The burglary was found on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.
The six missing pieces were marble creations and originated to the ancient Roman times, an authority stated to the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to enhance security and observation methods.
The director of internal security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He noted that security personnel at the museum and other persons were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the most important cultural treasures in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was evacuated and kept at secret locations to protect them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed multiple temples and historical sites at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the damage as a violation.
Numerous artefacts were also lost or taken from archaeological sites and collections.
