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Ancient sculptures and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.

The six taken sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, one official stated to the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that steps had been enacted to enhance protection and monitoring systems.

The chief of domestic security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".

He continued that guards at the facility and additional people were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the significant cultural treasures in the country.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where evidence of the earliest writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was evacuated and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after rebel forces removed the Assad regime.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The Islamic State group blew up numerous temples and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. Unesco condemned the destruction as a war crime.

Countless historical objects were also damaged or taken from historical locations and collections.