Valuable Sculptures Removed from the National Museum in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.
The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.
The multiple taken sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been implemented to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.
The chief of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".
He continued that security personnel at the institution and other persons were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the most important historical artifacts in the country.
It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at secret locations to protect them.
It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, one month after insurgents removed Syria's former leader.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished numerous religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the damage as a violation.
Many historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and collections.
