Historic Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The burglary was noticed on Monday, when employees apparently found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.
The half-dozen taken statues were made of marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source told the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to strengthen security and monitoring systems.
The director of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He noted that museum protectors at the facility and other individuals were being questioned.
The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant archaeological collection in Syria.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the start of the destructive conflict. Most of the holdings was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces removed Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished multiple temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a atrocity.
Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.
