Six Roman-era marble statues stolen from Damascus National Museum

Theft at the National Museum in Damascus

Staff discovered the loss on Monday after finding a museum door broken from the inside; six marble statues dating to the Roman era were reported missing. Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums has opened an investigation and says it has stepped up protection and monitoring. Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, head of internal security in Damascus province, told state media that security forces are probing the theft and that museum guards and other individuals are being questioned.

Cultural context and wartime damage

The National Museum, founded in 1919, holds Syria's most important archaeological collection, including Ugarit cuneiform tablets, Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra and the Dura Europos synagogue. The museum was closed in 2012 after the civil war began and much of its collection was evacuated; it partially reopened in 2018 and resumed full operations in January 2025, shortly after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad. The theft underscores long-standing concerns about looting and the damage inflicted on Syria's UNESCO World Heritage sites during the conflict, including deliberate destruction by ISIS. as reported by BBC

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