Ancient Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and additional items have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen taken sculptures were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.
The chief of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the facility and other individuals were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.
The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The militant faction blew up numerous religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also damaged or taken from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
