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Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.

The burglary was found on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.

The six missing pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman period, an authority stated to the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of artifacts", and that measures had been implemented to improve protection and monitoring systems.

The director of domestic security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as declaring that security forces were examining the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He added that guards at the facility and other persons were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in the country.

It includes historical records originating to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from historical site, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and stored at secret locations to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces deposed Syria's former leader.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The IS organization demolished several temples and historical sites at Palmyra, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the damage as a atrocity.

Numerous cultural items were also lost or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.