Valuable Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.
The theft was found on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.
The multiple stolen pieces were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, an authority stated to the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that actions had been implemented to enhance protection and observation methods.
The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He continued that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.
The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the most important archaeological collection in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site.
The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the destructive conflict. The majority of the holdings was transferred and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization blew up numerous religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the demolition as a violation.
Countless cultural items were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and collections.
