US EditionThieves have stolen ancient Roman-era statues from the national museum in Syria
- Thieves struck the National Museum of Damascus, stealing six marble statues Sunday night and discovered early Monday, two officials from Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said.
- After Syria's conflict began in March 2011, security measures like metal gates and surveillance cameras were installed before the museum reopened on Jan 8, 2025.
- In the classical department, which houses Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine artefacts, guards found the broken door, through which thieves entered the classical department of the National Museum of Damascus.
- The National Museum of Damascus was temporarily closed after the heist was discovered early Monday, and the Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums launched an investigation with specialised teams making multiple arrests.
- The heist occurs as Syria reels from a 14-year civil war and authorities moved artifacts from Palmyra to Damascus; it follows a Paris theft, raising security concerns.
132 Articles
132 Articles
Thieves Steal Roman-Era Statues From Damascus Museum
As Syria attempts to get back on its feet after a bloody civil war and a decades-long brutal dictatorship, thieves break into the National Museum of Damascus and walk away with six valuable Roman-era statues. Staff at the museum, the largest in Syria, became aware of the theft on Monday morning, November 10, when they saw that the door to the classical department had been broken, the Associated Press reported. Syrian authorities said an investig…
Shafaq News - Damascus: The Syrian Museum in Damascus announced Tuesday evening that it had been robbed of six ancient gold statues. AFP quoted a security source as saying that the museum was targeted in a robbery Sunday night/Monday morning, with the theft of gold pieces displayed in the classical wing of the museum, considered one of the oldest cultural institutions in the Middle East. Another informed source confirmed that the stolen items we…
The assault, which occurred after they forced a door, exposed the deficiencies in the protection of these historic institutions and sites throughout the globe. Following the robbery at the Louvre, international concern for the loss of unique pieces grew.
Roman-Era Statues Stolen from Syria’s National Museum in Damascus
The gate of National Museum of Damascus, an 8th-century Islamic palace. Credit: Aziz1005 / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain Several ancient statues dating back to the Roman era were stolen from Syria’s National Museum in Damascus during a break-in Sunday night, officials confirmed Tuesday. Authorities said six marble sculptures were taken from a section of the museum that contains Roman, Hellenistic and Byzantine artifacts. The theft has raised…
Less than a month after the audacious and high-profile theft at the Louvre Museum in central Paris, thieves have also targeted the National Museum in central Damascus, stealing several valuable items. But it is still unclear what exactly the thieves took.
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