Valuable Artifacts Taken from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable statues and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was found on Monday, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.
The multiple taken statues were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and observation methods.
The chief of domestic security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the government press as stating that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He continued that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the significant cultural treasures in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known writing system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was built at Dura Europos.
The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was transferred and stored at secure places to protect them.
It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces removed the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up multiple temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the destruction as a war crime.
Numerous historical objects were also damaged or looted from historical locations and museums.
