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Historic statues and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The burglary was found on Monday, when staff reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.

The six stolen pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman period, a source stated to the media outlet.

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

The director of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

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

The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, houses the primary historical artifacts in the country.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at Dura Europos.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

All six of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The Islamic State group destroyed multiple temples and other structures at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities denounced the destruction as a violation.

Countless artefacts were also destroyed or taken from dig sites and museums.