Ancient Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was found on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The six missing pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority told the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "details surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that actions had been implemented to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that law enforcement were examining the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He continued that guards at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It features historical records dating back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was built at another archaeological site.
The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The militant faction blew up several temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco condemned the damage as a atrocity.
Many artefacts were also lost or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.
