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Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.

The multiple stolen pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that steps had been enacted to improve protection and surveillance.

The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".

He noted that security personnel at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was created in 1919, houses the significant archaeological collection in Syria.

It features historical records tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where indications of the most ancient writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at another archaeological site.

The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was removed and kept at secret locations to protect them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war.

The Islamic State group destroyed numerous ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco censured the demolition as a atrocity.

Numerous historical objects were also lost or stolen from dig sites and museums.