Valuable Sculptures Stolen from Syria's National Museum Located in Damascus

Historic artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.

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

The six stolen statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, an authority informed the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "events surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to improve security and surveillance.

The chief of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

He added that guards at the institution and other individuals were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, contains the most important historical artifacts in the country.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient complete alphabet was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, among the foremost ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century religious building that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, one month after insurgents removed the Assad regime.

Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The IS organization blew up multiple religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities censured the damage as a atrocity.

Countless cultural items were also lost or taken from historical locations and collections.