Ancient Statues Removed from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman period, a source stated to the Associated Press.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been implemented to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.
The chief of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He added that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It contains historical records originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the collection was evacuated and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after rebel forces removed Syria's former leader.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up multiple religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the damage as a war crime.
Numerous cultural items were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
