🔗 Share this article Historic Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in the first month of this year, a month after the deposition of Syria's former leader. Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm. The robbery was found on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside. The six stolen sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet. The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that measures had been implemented to enhance security and surveillance. The director of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items". He continued that security personnel at the facility and other individuals were being questioned. The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, contains the significant archaeological collection in the country. It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the most ancient complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location. The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety. It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader. All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict. The IS organization demolished multiple temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a war crime. Countless cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and museums.