🔗 Share this article Ancient Sculptures Taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus The National Museum reopened fully in January of 2025, a month after the removal of President Bashar al-Assad. Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report. The burglary was discovered on Monday, when staff allegedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior. The six stolen sculptures were marble creations and dated back to the Roman era, a source told the news agency. The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that measures had been implemented to strengthen protection and monitoring systems. The chief of domestic security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that law enforcement were examining the robbery, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects". He continued that guards at the museum and other individuals were being questioned. The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the most important historical artifacts in the country. It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was established at Dura Europos. The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at secure places to protect them. It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups overthrew President Bashar al-Assad. Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war. The militant faction demolished numerous religious structures and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the demolition as a war crime. Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and museums.