Ancient Statues Taken from the National Museum in Damascus
Ancient artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the interior.
The six stolen statues were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, an authority told the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a group of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to strengthen security and observation methods.
The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as stating that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".
He noted that guards at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was established in 1919, contains the significant cultural treasures in the country.
It features clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was built at another archaeological site.
The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was removed and stored at secret locations to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.
Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The IS organization demolished numerous temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization condemned the demolition as a violation.
Countless historical objects were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and collections.
