Historic Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus

Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The half-dozen taken statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman period, a source told the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.

The chief of national security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as stating that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

He added that guards at the institution and other persons were being questioned.

The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the significant archaeological collection in the country.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was built at an ancient location.

The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents removed Syria's former leader.

Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partially destroyed during the civil war.

The militant faction demolished several temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the demolition as a war crime.

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