Thieves attacked the Syrian National Museum; Roman statues were stolen!

According to the Associated Press; Thieves broke into the Syrian National Museum in Damascus and stole several ancient statues belonging to the Roman era. Following the discovery of this theft, the National Museum of Damascus, which is the largest museum in the country, was temporarily closed.

This robbery happened on Sunday night and was discovered on Monday morning when one of the doors of the classical section of the museum was broken. This museum, which houses a treasure of valuable antiquities, was reopened in January of this year after 14 years of civil war and the fall of the government last year.

An official in the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums of Syria, who did not want to be named, confirmed that six marble statues were stolen in this incident. Meanwhile, Damascus police chief Brigadier General Osama Atke told the state-run SANA news agency that an investigation had begun and museum guards and other people were being questioned.

With the start of the Syrian civil war in March 2011, the security measures in this museum were strengthened with the installation of metal doors and CCTV cameras, and hundreds of antiquities from all over the country were transferred to Damascus for protection. However, the theft has once again raised concerns about the safety of Syria’s fragile cultural heritage.