Ancient Statues Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable sculptures and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.
The burglary was discovered on Monday, when employees allegedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.
The multiple taken pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official told the media outlet.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that actions had been enacted to improve security and monitoring systems.
The director of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".
He added that guards at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, contains the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient writing system was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.
The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.
It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after insurgents removed the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.
The Islamic State group destroyed multiple temples and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a violation.
Many historical objects were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.
