🔗 Share this article Ancient Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus The National Museum reopened fully in January of this year, one month after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report. The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside. The six missing pieces were made of marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, one official stated to the Associated Press. Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been implemented to improve security and observation methods. The chief of domestic security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and unique items". He noted that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being questioned. The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in the country. It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet 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 Dura Europos. The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the collection was removed and stored at secure places to protect them. It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after rebel forces removed President Bashar al-Assad. Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle. The militant faction destroyed multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at Palmyra, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a war crime. Many artefacts were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and collections.