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Historic sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The multiple missing statues were made of marble and originated to the Roman period, one official stated to the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to determine the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of exhibits", and that measures had been enacted to improve security and surveillance.

The chief of internal security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that law enforcement were examining the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He added that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being interrogated.

The Damascus Museum, which was established in 1919, holds the primary archaeological collection in Syria.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest linguistic system was discovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was built at an ancient location.

The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was evacuated and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents deposed President Bashar al-Assad.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the conflict.

The Islamic State group blew up numerous temples and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the damage as a war crime.

Numerous cultural items were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.