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Historic sculptures and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the inside.

The multiple missing sculptures were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, an authority informed the media outlet.

Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "details surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that steps had been taken to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".

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

The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the primary cultural treasures in Syria.

It includes ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was transferred and preserved at secure places to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after rebel forces removed Syria's former leader.

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

The IS organization demolished numerous temples and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the destruction as a violation.

Many cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.