Historic Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus

Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The robbery was found on Monday, when staff apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.

The multiple taken pieces were marble creations and dated back to the Roman period, an authority informed the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that measures had been implemented to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The head of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He added that guards at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the most important archaeological collection in Syria.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where proof of the earliest writing system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was transferred and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, four weeks after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The Islamic State group demolished several religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the damage as a atrocity.

Many historical objects were also damaged or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.