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Historic artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.

The half-dozen taken statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman era, an authority informed the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.

The head of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that law enforcement were investigating the robbery, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".

He added that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being questioned.

The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, contains the most important historical artifacts in Syria.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from historical site, where proof of the earliest complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE ancient art from Palmyra, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was evacuated and stored at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, one month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The militant faction demolished several religious structures and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the damage as a war crime.

Many historical objects were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.