Valuable Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The robbery was found on Monday, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.
The six missing sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source told the media outlet.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.
The chief of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He continued that security personnel at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the primary archaeological collection in Syria.
It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient writing system was uncovered; early centuries CE ancient art from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at an ancient location.
The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was removed and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the destruction as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also damaged or looted from dig sites and museums.