🔗 Share this article

Ancient artifacts and other artefacts have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.

The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The multiple taken pieces were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, a source told the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "events surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that measures had been taken to enhance protection and monitoring systems.

The director of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He continued that security personnel at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country.

It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was removed and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after opposition groups overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle.

The militant faction destroyed multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at Palmyra, stating that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the damage as a war crime.

Many cultural items were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and collections.