Ancient Sculptures Removed from the National Museum in Damascus

Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.

The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.

The six missing pieces were marble creations and dated back to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The head of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He noted that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the most important archaeological collection in Syria.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.

The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces deposed President Bashar al-Assad.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The militant faction destroyed multiple religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the damage as a atrocity.

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