Historic Statues Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus

Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.

The burglary was noticed on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.

The six taken sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority stated to the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been implemented to improve protection and monitoring systems.

The head of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

He added that guards at the institution and additional people were being questioned.

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in Syria.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was transferred and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in January 2025, a month after opposition groups deposed Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.

The IS organization destroyed numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime.

Numerous cultural items were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and museums.