🔗 Share this article

Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.

The burglary was noticed on Monday, when museum workers allegedly found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.

The multiple taken sculptures were marble creations and dated back to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the loss of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been taken to improve protection and surveillance.

The head of domestic security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".

He noted that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the most important cultural treasures in the country.

It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where proof of the most ancient linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The Islamic State group destroyed several temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the demolition as a war crime.

Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and collections.