🔗 Share this article Valuable Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in January of this year, a month after the overthrow of the Assad government. Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say. The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when staff allegedly found that an entrance had been forced from the interior. The six missing sculptures were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, a source informed the Associated Press. The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "events surrounding the theft of a group of artifacts", and that steps had been implemented to enhance protection and monitoring systems. The director of domestic security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles". He added that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being interviewed. The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the primary archaeological collection in the country. It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from historical site, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was built at an ancient location. The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the destructive conflict. The majority of the collection was removed and kept at secure places to ensure their safety. It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad. Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the civil war. The Islamic State group destroyed multiple temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the damage as a war crime. Numerous cultural items were also lost or looted from dig sites and collections.