🔗 Share this article Ancient Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in the first month of 2025, one month after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Ancient statues and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm. The robbery was found on Monday, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside. The six taken sculptures were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, an authority stated to the media outlet. Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems. The director of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items". He added that guards at the institution and other persons were being questioned. The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria. It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where indications of the most ancient writing system was found; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location. The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was transferred and stored at secure places to protect them. It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, a month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime. Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the conflict. The Islamic State group blew up numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the demolition as a war crime. Numerous cultural items were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.