🔗 Share this article Ancient Artifacts Taken from the National Museum Located in Damascus The Damascus Museum reopened fully in the first month of 2025, one month after the deposition of President Bashar al-Assad. Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say. The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when staff allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside. The half-dozen taken pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet. The nation's antiquities authority said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of artifacts", and that steps had been taken to improve safeguarding and observation methods. The head of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects". He added that museum protectors at the institution and other persons were being interrogated. The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, houses the primary cultural treasures in the country. It contains historical records tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where proof of the oldest known writing system was found; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was built at Dura Europos. The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the holdings was evacuated and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them. It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, a month after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader. All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war. The militant faction blew up numerous temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime. Numerous artefacts were also lost or taken from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.