Valuable Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic artifacts and additional items have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.
The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.
The half-dozen stolen pieces were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, an authority told the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He added that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the significant archaeological collection in the country.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was built at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The Islamic State group destroyed numerous ancient buildings and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the destruction as a atrocity.
Countless artefacts were also lost or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.
