Valuable Artifacts Taken from the National Museum in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and additional items have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.
The burglary was found on Monday, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.
The multiple missing pieces were marble creations and dated back to the Roman period, a source stated to the media outlet.
Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and surveillance.
The chief of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and unique items".
He continued that guards at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the primary cultural treasures in Syria.
It features historical records originating to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest linguistic system was found; early centuries CE classical statues from historical site, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the start of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.
It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces removed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.
The IS organization destroyed several religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the demolition as a atrocity.
Numerous artefacts were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.