Valuable Sculptures Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.
The multiple stolen statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, one official told the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and surveillance.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He continued that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known linguistic system was discovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was built at an ancient location.
The facility was forced to close in 2012, one year after the start of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.
It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict.
The IS organization demolished multiple temples and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities condemned the destruction as a war crime.
Many artefacts were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and museums.
