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Valuable sculptures and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.

The robbery was found on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the inside.

The multiple stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, a source informed the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that steps had been enacted to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.

The chief of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He continued that guards at the museum and additional people were being questioned.

The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the most important historical artifacts in the country.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.

The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. Most of the collection was transferred and kept at secure places to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, a month after rebel forces deposed Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The IS organization demolished numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the destruction as a war crime.

Many artefacts were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.