Historic Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus
Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.
The robbery was discovered on Monday, when employees reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.
The six missing statues were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the news agency.
The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to strengthen security and monitoring systems.
The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".
He added that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.
The National Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria.
It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at an ancient location.
The institution was forced to close in 2012, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was removed and stored at secure places to safeguard them.
It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, a month after opposition groups deposed Syria's former leader.
Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the civil war.
The IS organization demolished several ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the damage as a atrocity.
Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from dig sites and museums.
