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Ancient artifacts and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

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

The six taken pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, one official stated to the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that actions had been implemented to improve safeguarding and observation methods.

The director of national security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that law enforcement were examining the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He noted that guards at the institution and other individuals were being questioned.

The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the most important archaeological collection in Syria.

It includes ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the most ancient writing system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The museum was forced to close in 2012, one year after the beginning of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was removed and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and completely reopened in January 2025, one month after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The militant faction demolished multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at Palmyra, asserting that they were un-Islamic. Unesco censured the destruction as a war crime.

Countless artefacts were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and museums.