Ancient Statues Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus

Valuable sculptures and additional items have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.

The half-dozen missing statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that actions had been implemented to improve safeguarding 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 probing the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He added that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in the country.

It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where proof of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was established at an ancient location.

The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was transferred and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.

Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The Islamic State group destroyed numerous temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the destruction as a war crime.

Countless cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.