đź”— Share this article Valuable Sculptures Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in January of 2025, one month after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Ancient statues and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm. The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside. The six stolen statues were crafted from marble and originated 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 determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that measures had been taken to improve security and observation methods. The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items". He noted that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being interrogated. The Damascus Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, houses the significant cultural treasures in Syria. It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost historical locations of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at an ancient location. The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was evacuated and stored at secure places to safeguard them. It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, one month after rebel forces removed Syria's former leader. Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle. The IS organization destroyed several ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization condemned the destruction as a atrocity. Numerous historical objects were also damaged or looted from dig sites and collections.