🔗 Share this article Ancient Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in January of this year, a month after the removal of Syria's former leader. Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say. The theft was found on Monday, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside. The half-dozen stolen sculptures were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official stated to the media outlet. The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that actions had been taken to strengthen protection and monitoring systems. The chief of domestic security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles". He added that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being questioned. The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the significant archaeological collection in the country. It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the earliest writing system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos. The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them. It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces deposed the Assad regime. All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict. The Islamic State group blew up multiple temples and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the demolition as a war crime. Many historical objects were also lost or stolen from dig sites and collections.