Several cultural relics from the National Museum of Syria were stolen

The National Museum of Syria was burgled, with many ancient statues and several precious cultural relics stolen.

Xinhua News Agency, citing the Syrian state News agency, reported that a theft of cultural relics occurred at the National Museum in the central area of the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday night (November 10), and the authorities are investigating the incident. The stolen statue dates back to the ancient Roman period.

The head of the Damascus interior security department said that the relevant authorities would spare no effort to capture the suspect and recover the stolen items.

Reuters reported that six ancient statues in the museum were stolen.

The National Museum of Damascus officially opened in 1936 and is regarded as one of the most important and oldest museums in the Arab countries.

A museum source told Reuters that the thief smashed the glass display cases when committing the crime and seemed to stay in the museum until the evening.

In the early stage of the Syrian civil war, the museum was closed in 2012, partially reopened in 2018, and fully resumed operations in January 2025 after the change of regime in Syria.