Historic Artifacts Taken from the National Museum in Damascus
Ancient statues and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.
The theft was noticed on Monday, when staff apparently found that an entrance had been forced from the interior.
The half-dozen stolen statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official stated to the Associated Press.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that actions had been taken to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".
He continued that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the primary archaeological collection in the country.
It contains historical records originating to the ancient era from historical site, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.
It reopened partially in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.
Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the civil war.
The Islamic State group demolished numerous religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the destruction as a war crime.
Many historical objects were also damaged or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.
