Valuable Statues Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus
Valuable statues and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.
The burglary was found on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.
The multiple missing sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, one official told the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and observation methods.
The chief of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".
He added that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where indications of the most ancient writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was established at Dura Europos.
The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was transferred and kept at secure places to protect them.
It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war.
The Islamic State group blew up several temples and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a atrocity.
Countless historical objects were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and collections.