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Ancient statues and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

The robbery was found on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.

The six missing statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that actions had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The head of national security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

He noted that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at another archaeological site.

The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the holdings was transferred and stored at secure places to protect them.

It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after insurgents removed Syria's former leader.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.

The IS organization demolished numerous temples and additional edifices at the ancient city, asserting that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the damage as a war crime.

Numerous artefacts were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.