🔗 Share this article Valuable Artifacts Removed from the National Museum Located in Damascus The National Museum resumed complete operations in January of this year, four weeks after the removal of the Assad government. Valuable statues and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report. The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside. The multiple missing sculptures were marble creations and dated back to the Roman period, a source told the news agency. Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of artifacts", and that actions had been taken to improve protection and surveillance. The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and unique items". He continued that guards at the institution and other individuals were being questioned. The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the primary historical artifacts in the country. It includes historical records tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at Dura Europos. The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was transferred and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them. It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, one month after insurgents deposed Syria's former leader. Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle. The IS organization destroyed numerous ancient buildings and historical sites at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco condemned the destruction as a violation. Numerous cultural items were also damaged or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.