Historic Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus

Cultural Building
The National Museum resumed complete operations in January of this year, one month after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

Valuable artifacts and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.

The burglary was found on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the interior.

The multiple taken statues were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that measures had been taken to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The chief of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that law enforcement were investigating the incident, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He added that museum protectors at the facility and other individuals were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important cultural treasures in the country.

It features ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the beginning of the destructive conflict. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.

The IS organization destroyed multiple religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the damage as a violation.

Countless cultural items were also damaged or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.

Hunter Medina
Hunter Medina

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