🔗 Share this article Valuable Statues Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus The Damascus Museum reopened fully in the first month of 2025, four weeks after the deposition of the Assad government. Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report. The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside. The six stolen pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official told the Associated Press. The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been implemented to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems. The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items". He added that museum protectors at the museum and other persons were being interrogated. The National Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country. It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was established at another archaeological site. The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was evacuated and stored at secure places to protect them. It reopened partially in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents overthrew the Assad regime. Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle. The Islamic State group demolished several temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a war crime. Many cultural items were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and museums.