Thieves have stolen several Roman-era statues from Syria’s National Museum in Damascus, officials said Tuesday, the latest blow to the country’s cultural heritage after years of looting and destruction during its civil war.
The theft was discovered early Monday, when the staff found a door in the museum broken from the inside, according to an official at the Syrian Ministry of Culture, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue.
The stolen artifacts rank among the oldest and most valuable in the museum’s collection, the official said, in what appears to be the largest single loss of antiquities since President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebels last year.
Brig. Gen. Osama Mohammad Khair Atkeh, head of Damascus’s internal security forces, said authorities had started an investigation into the theft, which targeted “a number of archaeological statues and rare collectibles,” according to Syrian state media.
He said specialist teams were working to locate the perpetrators and recover the missing artifacts, and that guards at the museum were being questioned.
Founded in 1919, the National Museum of Damascus is Syria’s oldest and largest museum, housing archaeological treasures that span from prehistory to the Islamic era. Situated near the capital’s historic quarter, it reopened in January after years of wartime closure. The country’s 13-year civil war devastated archaeological sites nationwide, including the ancient city of Palmyra, once held by the Islamic State.
The theft is the latest blow to Syria’s fragile cultural sector, long endangered by looting and the illegal trade in antiquities, fueled by years of conflict and a deepening economic crisis. It follows repeated warnings from UNESCO and other heritage organizations that Syrian artifacts continue to be trafficked abroad.
Reham Mourshed contributed reporting from Damascus, Syria.
Euan Ward is a Times reporter covering Lebanon and Syria. He is based in Beirut.
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