🔗 Share this article Valuable Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus The National Museum resumed complete operations in January of this year, a month after the removal of Syria's former leader. Valuable artifacts and additional items have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say. The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the inside. The six stolen statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, an authority told the media outlet. Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a number of items", and that steps had been taken to strengthen security and observation methods. The head of national security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that law enforcement were examining the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects". He continued that museum protectors at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed. The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the primary historical artifacts in the country. It features historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site. The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them. It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader. Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle. The militant faction blew up numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the destruction as a atrocity. Numerous artefacts were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and museums.