đź”— Share this article Ancient Artifacts Stolen from the National Museum in Damascus The Damascus Museum reopened fully in the first month of this year, four weeks after the deposition of President Bashar al-Assad. Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report. The theft was found on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that an entrance had been broken from the interior. The multiple taken statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman period, a source informed the Associated Press. Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to improve security and surveillance. The head of internal security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and valuable objects". He added that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being interrogated. The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the most important archaeological collection in the country. It features historical records tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was built at an ancient location. The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. A large portion of the holdings was evacuated and preserved at secret locations to safeguard them. It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, one month after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad. Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle. The IS organization demolished multiple religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the destruction as a atrocity. Numerous artefacts were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and collections.