🔗 Share this article Historic Artifacts Stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus The Damascus Museum resumed complete operations in January of this year, four weeks after the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say. The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior. The multiple missing sculptures were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, an authority stated to the news agency. Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that steps had been taken to improve protection and monitoring systems. The director of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items". He added that security personnel at the facility and other persons were being interrogated. The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the significant cultural treasures in the country. It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site. The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. Most of the collection was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety. It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad. All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict. The militant faction demolished several temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a war crime. Many cultural items were also damaged or taken from archaeological sites and collections.