🔗 Share this article Ancient Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus The National Museum reopened fully in the first month of 2025, one month after the deposition of the Assad government. Ancient artifacts and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say. The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside. The six missing sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority told the media outlet. Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and surveillance. The director of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as saying that authorities were examining the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects". He added that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being questioned. The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country. It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at an ancient location. The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the beginning of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and stored at secure places to safeguard them. It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad. All six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the civil war. The militant faction destroyed numerous religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a violation. Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and museums.