🔗 Share this article Valuable Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in the first month of this year, four weeks after the overthrow of Syria's former leader. Ancient statues and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say. The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior. The six missing pieces were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the news agency. The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that actions had been implemented to improve protection and observation methods. The director of national security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and valuable objects". He noted that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated. The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the significant cultural treasures in the country. It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site. The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at secure places to ensure their safety. It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, a month after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader. Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle. The militant faction blew up numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were un-Islamic. Unesco condemned the demolition as a atrocity. Many cultural items were also damaged or stolen from historical locations and museums.