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Valuable statues and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.

The multiple missing pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman period, an authority told the news agency.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been taken to strengthen security and surveillance.

The chief of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as saying that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".

He added that museum protectors at the institution and other individuals were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, houses the significant archaeological collection in the country.

It features historical records originating to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the oldest known writing system was found; early centuries CE ancient art from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The institution was forced to close in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was removed and preserved at secure places to protect them.

It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in January 2025, four weeks after insurgents removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The Islamic State group blew up numerous ancient buildings and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the destruction as a atrocity.

Many historical objects were also damaged or looted from dig sites and museums.