Historic Sculptures Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus

Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.

The burglary was noticed on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.

The half-dozen stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and observation methods.

The head of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as declaring that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".

He noted that guards at the museum and other individuals were being questioned.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the primary cultural treasures in the country.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the most ancient complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was established at Dura Europos.

The museum was forced to close in 2012, a year after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at secret locations to protect them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, a month after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partly ruined during the civil war.

The IS organization demolished several religious structures and historical sites at Palmyra, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the damage as a violation.

Many historical objects were also damaged or taken from historical locations and museums.