Valuable Statues Removed from the National Museum in Damascus

Cultural Building
The National Museum reopened fully in January of 2025, four weeks after the overthrow of the Assad government.

Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.

The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.

The multiple stolen statues were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, an authority told the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that measures had been enacted to strengthen security and monitoring systems.

The head of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".

He continued that security personnel at the facility and other individuals were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.

It includes historical records originating to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the historical period; and a third century synagogue that was built at another archaeological site.

The facility 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 preserved at secure places to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or significantly impacted during the civil war.

The militant faction destroyed numerous temples and other structures at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the damage as a atrocity.

Many historical objects were also damaged or looted from archaeological sites and collections.

Michael Gonzalez
Michael Gonzalez

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