🔗 Share this article Valuable Artifacts Taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in the first month of this year, a month after the deposition of the Assad government. Ancient artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report. The robbery was found on Monday, when staff reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the inside. The multiple taken statues were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, one official told the Associated Press. Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that actions had been taken to enhance safeguarding and surveillance. The chief of national security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles". He noted that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being questioned. The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important cultural treasures in Syria. It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was found; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at another archaeological site. The facility was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them. It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad. All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war. The Islamic State group destroyed several ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco condemned the demolition as a war crime. Countless cultural items were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.