Six Roman-era marble statues stolen from Damascus National Museum

Summary

Staff at the National Museum in Damascus discovered that one of the museum's doors had been forced open and found six marble statues from the Roman era missing. Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums has launched an inquiry into the loss and says steps are being taken to bolster security and monitoring. Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, head of internal security in Damascus province, told state media that security forces are investigating, and that museum guards and other individuals are being questioned in connection with the theft.

The National Museum, founded in 1919, holds Syria's most significant archaeological collections, including cuneiform tablets from Ugarit, Greco‑Roman sculptures from Palmyra and the Dura Europos synagogue. The institution was closed in 2012 during the civil war and most exhibits were moved to secure locations; it reopened partially in 2018 and returned to full operations in January 2025. Syria's cultural heritage suffered widespread damage during the conflict — including deliberate destruction at Palmyra by Islamic State — and UNESCO has condemned attacks on cultural property as war crimes, highlighting the broader risks to artefacts in the country. as reported by BBC

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