🔗 Share this article Valuable Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum Located in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in the first month of 2025, a month after the deposition of Syria's former leader. Ancient statues and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report. The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the interior. The half-dozen taken pieces were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, a source told the media outlet. Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of artifacts", and that actions had been enacted to improve security and observation methods. The chief of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects". He continued that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being questioned. The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the significant historical artifacts in the country. It features clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at an ancient location. The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the holdings was evacuated and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them. It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime. Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict. The militant faction destroyed multiple religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the demolition as a atrocity. Many artefacts were also damaged or taken from historical locations and museums.