Valuable Statues Taken from the National Museum in Damascus

Historic statues and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior.

The half-dozen missing pieces were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official told the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "events surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and surveillance.

The director of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were examining the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

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

The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, contains the primary cultural treasures in Syria.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.

The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, one year after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was removed and preserved at secret locations to protect them.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The militant faction blew up several temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a violation.

Countless historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and museums.