Valuable Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus

Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The robbery was discovered on Monday, when staff apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The six taken statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of artifacts", and that steps had been taken to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.

The chief of national security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He added that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the primary archaeological collection in Syria.

It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century religious building that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.

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

The militant faction destroyed several temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the demolition as a war crime.

Numerous artefacts were also lost or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.