🔗 Share this article Ancient Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus The National Museum reopened fully in January of 2025, a month after the removal of the Assad government. Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say. The robbery was noticed on Monday, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside. The multiple stolen statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, a source told the Associated Press. Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the loss of a group of artifacts", and that measures had been enacted to improve security and observation methods. The head of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles". He added that guards at the museum and other individuals were being questioned. The Damascus Museum, which was founded in 1919, contains the most important cultural treasures 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 discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century religious building that was built at an ancient location. The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and kept at secure places to ensure their safety. It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces deposed the Assad regime. Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle. The militant faction demolished multiple temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a atrocity. Countless historical objects were also lost or looted from historical locations and collections.