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Ancient statues and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

The robbery was found on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.

The multiple taken sculptures were marble creations and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source told the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to establish the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The chief of domestic security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as stating that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".

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

The National Museum, which was created in 1919, houses the most important archaeological collection in the country.

It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the earliest writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was built at another archaeological site.

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 preserved at secure places to protect them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in January 2025, one month after insurgents removed the Assad regime.

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

The Islamic State group demolished multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the demolition as a atrocity.

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