Valuable Sculptures Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus

Cultural Facade
The Damascus Museum reopened fully in the first month of this year, a month after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad.

Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.

The burglary was found on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.

The six taken pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "events surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that measures had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The head of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He noted that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the significant historical artifacts in the country.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the oldest known linguistic system was found; early centuries CE classical statues from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at Dura Europos.

The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after insurgents deposed the Assad regime.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The Islamic State group demolished several religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a war crime.

Countless artefacts were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and museums.

Regina Anderson
Regina Anderson

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