🔗 Share this article Ancient Artifacts Removed from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus The Damascus Museum reopened fully in January of this year, one month after the removal of President Bashar al-Assad. Historic statues and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say. The theft was discovered on Monday, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside. The six missing statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the Associated Press. Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to improve protection and monitoring systems. The director of domestic security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that authorities were examining the theft, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles". He noted that guards at the museum and other individuals were being questioned. The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, holds the primary historical artifacts in the country. It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was built at an ancient location. The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was removed and preserved at secure places to protect them. It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, a month after rebel forces deposed Syria's former leader. Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the civil war. The militant faction blew up multiple ancient buildings and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the demolition as a war crime. Numerous historical objects were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.