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Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

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

The multiple missing pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official informed the media outlet.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that steps had been implemented to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.

The director of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that authorities were examining the robbery, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and unique items".

He noted that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, contains the significant cultural treasures in Syria.

It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important historical locations of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was built at Dura Europos.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the civil war.

The militant faction destroyed numerous religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a atrocity.

Countless historical objects were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.