Valuable Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was discovered 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 multiple taken pieces were made of marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source informed the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been implemented to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The director of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where indications of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was built at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the destructive conflict. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and stored at secure places to ensure their safety.
It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after rebel forces removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.
The militant faction blew up multiple temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a atrocity.
Numerous historical objects were also damaged or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.
