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

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

The six missing pieces were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source told the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been implemented to enhance protection and observation methods.

The chief of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as saying that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He added that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interviewed.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, houses the primary archaeological collection in Syria.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the oldest known writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from historical site, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century synagogue that was built at Dura Europos.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents deposed the Assad regime.

Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The Islamic State group blew up multiple ancient buildings and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities censured the demolition as a war crime.

Numerous historical objects were also lost or taken from dig sites and collections.