Ancient Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic statues and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was noticed on Monday, when employees reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.
The multiple missing sculptures were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, an authority stated to the news agency.
Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to improve safeguarding and observation methods.
The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and unique items".
He added that security personnel at the facility and other individuals were being questioned.
The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the most important cultural treasures in Syria.
It contains historical records dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.
The institution was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.
The Islamic State group demolished multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a violation.
Many cultural items were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.
