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Ancient sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.

The burglary was discovered on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.

The half-dozen taken statues were marble creations and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that actions had been implemented to improve safeguarding and observation methods.

The director of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as saying that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".

He continued that museum protectors at the museum and additional people were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the primary historical artifacts in the country.

It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was built at Dura Europos.

The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was transferred and stored at secure places to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents removed Syria's former leader.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The Islamic State group demolished several temples and historical sites at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. International authorities condemned the destruction as a atrocity.

Numerous artefacts were also destroyed or taken from dig sites and collections.