Valuable Statues Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official told the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to determine the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that actions had been implemented to improve security and observation methods.
The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He continued that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being questioned.
The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the most important cultural treasures in the country.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The institution was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, a month after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.
Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.
The IS organization demolished numerous temples and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the destruction as a war crime.
Countless historical objects were also damaged or taken from historical locations and museums.
