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Thieves broke into Syria’s nationwide museum and stole a number of historic statues courting again to the Roman period, officers mentioned Tuesday.
The Nationwide Museum of Damascus was quickly closed after the heist was found early Monday. The museum reopened in January because the nation reels from a 14-year civil warfare and the autumn of the 54-year Assad household rule final yr.
The nation’s largest museum homes priceless antiquities. After the civil warfare began in March 2011, safety was improved with metallic gates and surveillance cameras, and authorities moved tons of of artifacts to Damascus from across the nation.
An official from Syria’s Directorate-Normal for Antiquities and Museums informed The Related Press that six marble statues have been stolen, and an investigation was ongoing.
One other official informed the AP that the theft occurred Sunday night time and was found when one of many doorways on the classical division was discovered damaged.
Each officers spoke on situation of anonymity according to laws as a result of the federal government had not but made an announcement.
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The police chief in Damascus, Brig. Gen. Osama Atkeh, later informed state information company SANA that a number of statues and uncommon collectibles have been stolen from the museum. He mentioned that guards there and different people have been being questioned.
An AP journalist tried to enter the museum on Tuesday and was informed by guards that it was closed.
The part of the museum the place the statues have been reported stolen is “a stupendous and traditionally wealthy division with artifacts courting again to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine intervals,” mentioned Maamoun Abdulkarim, the previous head of the federal government’s antiquities and museums division.
The museum reopened on Jan. 8, a month after rebels ousted President Bashar Assad, ushering in a brand new period for the nation. Afraid of looting, the museum closed after the offensive ended 5 many years of Assad household rule.
The years of battle had badly affected areas together with the historic central city of Palmyra, as soon as held by the Islamic State group. In 2015, IS members destroyed mausoleums in Palmyra’s UNESCO World Heritage web site that’s well-known for its 2,000-year-old Roman colonnades, different ruins and priceless artifacts.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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