🔗 Share this article

Historic statues and additional items have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.

The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The multiple stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority informed the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to enhance security and observation methods.

The chief of national security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as stating that authorities were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He added that guards at the institution and other individuals were being questioned.

The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.

It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and kept at secure places to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after rebel forces deposed President Bashar al-Assad.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The militant faction blew up multiple temples and historical sites at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a atrocity.

Countless artefacts were also damaged or stolen from historical locations and collections.