Valuable Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus

Valuable sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.

The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.

The six missing statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, an authority informed the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.

The head of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He continued that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was established in 1919, houses the primary historical artifacts in Syria.

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 the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at another archaeological site.

The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was transferred and kept at secure places to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.

The militant faction demolished numerous ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco condemned the demolition as a violation.

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