🔗 Share this article Ancient Statues Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus The National Museum resumed complete operations in January of this year, four weeks after the deposition of the Assad government. Valuable statues and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say. The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior. The half-dozen missing statues were crafted from marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official told the Associated Press. Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that steps had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and observation methods. The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles". He continued that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being questioned. The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, houses the significant archaeological collection in Syria. It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was constructed at an ancient location. The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them. It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, one month after insurgents removed Syria's former leader. Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the conflict. The Islamic State group destroyed numerous temples and other structures at the archaeological site, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the destruction as a war crime. Numerous cultural items were also damaged or stolen from historical locations and collections.