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

The robbery was found on Monday, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The six missing sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, an authority informed the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The director of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as stating that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

He continued that guards at the facility and other persons were being questioned.

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

It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.

The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was evacuated and stored at secure places to protect them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.

The militant faction destroyed numerous religious structures and historical sites at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the damage as a violation.

Numerous historical objects were also destroyed or taken from archaeological sites and collections.