Ancient statues and other artefacts have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.
The theft was discovered on Monday, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.
The six missing statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official told the Associated Press.
Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums stated it has opened an investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding this loss, while enhancing security and monitoring systems.
The head of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, indicated that security forces were investigating the theft that targeted several archaeological statues and rare collectibles. Guards and other individuals are being questioned.
Established in 1919, the National Museum houses the most significant archaeological collection in Syria. Highlights include clay cuneiform tablets from Ugarit, Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, and a 3rd Century synagogue from Dura Europos.
Following the onset of civil war in 2012, the museum was forced to close, leading to the evacuation of many artifacts to secure locations.
It partially reopened in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, soon after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.
All six of Syria’s UNESCO World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the civil war, with the Islamic State group infamously destroying several Palmyrene temples, asserting they were idolatrous. Unesco condemned these acts as war crimes.
Additionally, many artefacts have been lost to destruction or looting throughout conflict-ridden regions.
