Historic Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable statues and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.
The six missing pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official stated to the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that measures had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the museum and other persons were being questioned.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, contains the significant historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes historical records dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.
The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and stored at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after insurgents removed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the internal struggle.
The militant faction destroyed multiple religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the demolition as a war crime.
Countless historical objects were also destroyed or taken from dig sites and cultural institutions.
