🔗 Share this article Historic Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus The National Museum resumed complete operations in January of this year, a month after the removal of President Bashar al-Assad. Ancient artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report. The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the interior. The six missing pieces were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, a source told the news agency. Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that steps had been implemented to improve protection and surveillance. The head of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items". He noted that guards at the facility and additional people were being questioned. The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the most important archaeological collection in Syria. It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at Dura Europos. The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the collection was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them. It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader. All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle. The Islamic State group destroyed multiple religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the destruction as a war crime. Many cultural items were also damaged or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.