Valuable Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen missing statues were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, a source told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that steps had been taken to improve protection and observation methods.
The director of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as declaring that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He continued that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, contains the most important historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes historical records originating to the ancient era from historical site, where proof of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at an ancient location.
The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and kept at secret locations to protect them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The militant faction demolished multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a violation.
Countless artefacts were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and collections.
