Historic Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The six stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been implemented to enhance protection and surveillance.
The head of domestic security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He noted that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the significant historical artifacts in the country.
It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was built at Dura Europos.
The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was evacuated and preserved at secure places to protect them.
It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished multiple religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization censured the destruction as a war crime.
Many cultural items were also lost or taken from historical locations and collections.
