Authorities have revealed that ancient statues and other artifacts have been stolen from the Syrian National Museum in Damascus.
The theft was discovered on Monday when staff discovered that one of the museum’s doors had been broken from the inside. Six marble statues, dating back to Roman times, are missing, an official told the Associated Press.
Syria’s General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums said it launched an investigation to determine the “circumstances surrounding the loss of a number of exhibits” and that measures have been taken to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.
Brigadier General Osama Atkeh, head of internal security in Damascus province, told state news agency Sana that security forces are investigating the theft, which targeted several “archaeological statues and rare collectibles.” He added that museum guards and other people are being questioned.
The National Museum, founded in 1919, houses the most important archaeological collection in Syria. Its exhibits include clay cuneiform tablets from Ugarit dating to the 14th century BC. C., Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. C. and a synagogue from the 3rd century AD. C. of Dura Europos.
The museum closed in 2012, a year after the start of the civil war, and most of the collection was moved to secret locations for protection. It partially reopened in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, a month after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.
All six UNESCO World Heritage sites in Syria were damaged or partially destroyed during the civil war. The Islamic State group destroyed several temples and other structures in Palmyra, claiming they were idolatrous, a move UNESCO condemned as a war crime. Many artifacts were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and museums during the conflict.
(BBC)
READ ALSO TOP STORIES OF Newslodge