Valuable Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.
The half-dozen missing statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that steps had been implemented to improve protection and surveillance.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He added that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, houses the primary historical artifacts in the country.
It features ancient inscribed tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the destructive conflict. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.
All six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The militant faction destroyed numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the destruction as a violation.
Many historical objects were also lost or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.
