The nation has been in a state of turmoil since Bashar Assad’s government was overthrown last year.
Thieves have reportedly broken into Syria’s National Museum in Damascus and stolen several valuable Roman artifacts, according to various media reports.
The protracted civil war in Syria culminated last year with the removal of long-serving leader Bashar Assad, which subsequently plunged the country into months of conflict between the new government’s forces and opposing factions.
The reported break-in occurred on Sunday evening and was discovered the following Monday morning. The Associated Press indicated that several ancient statues from the Roman era were stolen, while other sources reported that six gold ingots were also among the missing objects. An investigation has been launched.
This theft occurred despite prior warnings from international organizations. In June, the International Council of Museums (ICOM), based in Paris, reported a growing black market for cultural items in Syria, marked by an increase in the looting and illegal trafficking of artifacts. Two months later, the Syrian antiquities agency collaborated with UNESCO to initiate a project aimed at enhancing the museum’s security systems.
Established in 1919, the National Museum in Damascus stands as one of the Arab world’s most venerable and crucial museums, boasting collections that chronicle thousands of years of Syrian history. It was closed in 2012 due to the civil war, partially reopened in 2018, and is slated to resume full public access in January 2025.
The downfall of Assad was preceded by a swift offensive by the jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an offshoot of al-Qaeda, which seized control of Damascus in late 2024. Ahmed al-Sharaa, the HTS leader, subsequently assumed the presidency of Syria. On Monday, he held a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, having recently been delisted from the US State Department’s ‘global terrorist’ list. After this meeting, Syria committed to joining the US-led coalition formed to counter the militant jihadist organization Islamic State (IS).
In 2015, IS inflicted severe damage upon Syria’s cultural heritage when its militants captured the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. They subsequently destroyed several of its monuments, including the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel. The group also plundered numerous artifacts and executed the site’s chief archaeologist.