🔗 Share this article

Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The burglary was noticed 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 half-dozen missing pieces were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, a source informed the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that steps had been taken to improve security and observation methods.

The head of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He noted that security personnel at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.

The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the primary historical artifacts in Syria.

It contains historical records tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at secure places to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.

The IS organization blew up numerous religious structures and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a atrocity.

Many historical objects were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.