Valuable Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus

Historic artifacts and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

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

The half-dozen taken sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority stated to the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to improve security and surveillance.

The chief of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

He noted that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the significant cultural treasures in the country.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was established at another archaeological site.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the destructive conflict. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and kept at secret locations to protect them.

It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after rebel forces removed President Bashar al-Assad.

All six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The Islamic State group destroyed numerous religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, stating that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a war crime.

Numerous artefacts were also lost or taken from dig sites and cultural institutions.