🔗 Share this article Valuable Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus The National Museum reopened fully in the first month of 2025, one month after the overthrow of the Assad government. Valuable sculptures and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say. The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside. The six missing statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, an authority informed 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 items", and that measures had been implemented to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems. The chief of national security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items". He added that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated. The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, contains the most important archaeological collection in the country. It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the ancient era from historical site, where indications of the earliest writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos. The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety. It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad. Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle. The IS organization demolished numerous religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization censured the damage as a war crime. Countless cultural items were also lost or stolen from dig sites and museums.