Several ancient Roman-union statues were stolen from the Syrian national museum – nationally
Thieves broke into Syria’s National Museum and stole ancient statues dating back to the Roman era, officials said Tuesday.
The national museum in Damascus was temporarily closed after the heist was discovered early Monday. The museum opened in January as the country began a 14-year civil war and the collapse of 54-year-old family law last year.
The largest museum houses the country’s most innocent. After the civil war began in March 2011, security was improved with iron gates and surveillance cameras, and authorities moved hundreds of vehicles into Damascus across the country.
An official from Syria’s Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums told the press that six marble statues were stolen, and the investigation is underway.
Another official told AP that the theft happened on Sunday night and was discovered when one of the doors in the first department was found broken.
Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity in accordance with the policy because the government had not yet said anything.
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The police chief in Damascus, Brig. Gen Osama Atkeh, later told the State News Agency that several statues and rare chariots were stolen from the museum. He said the guards there and other people were being questioned.
An AP reporter tried to enter the museum on Tuesday and was told by a security guard that it was closed.
The part of the museum where the statues were stolen is reported as “a beautiful and rich entrance with artifacts that will go back to Greelsic, Roman and Byzantine sites, which was the head of the ancient museum.
The museum reopens on Jan. 8, a month after the uprising by the rebels For fear of looting, the Museum was closed after the end of fifty years of the regime of the Assad family.
Years of conflict had badly affected areas including the central city of Palmyra, which was held by the Islamic State group. In 2015, members destroyed the mausoleums of Palmy’s World Heritage Site famous for its 2,000-year-old Roman columns, other artistic ruins and precious artefacts.
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