🔗 Share this article Historic Statues Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus The National Museum reopened fully in the first month of 2025, a month after the removal of Syria's former leader. Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say. The theft was found on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside. The multiple taken sculptures were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, a source told the Associated Press. The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that measures had been taken to strengthen security and monitoring systems. The chief of national security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles". He continued that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed. The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the primary cultural treasures in Syria. It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where proof of the earliest writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos. The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at secure places to protect them. It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad. All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the civil war. The Islamic State group demolished multiple religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a violation. Countless cultural items were also damaged or taken from archaeological sites and collections.