Syrian authorities have shut down the National Museum in Damascus and opened a formal investigation after thieves stole several valuable artifacts, an official source revealed on Wednesday.
The theft occurred overnight between Sunday and Monday in the museum’s classical wing — a section that had remained untouched throughout Syria’s civil war and contains some of its most treasured antiquities. According to an official from the museums department, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the stolen items include six small Roman-era statues of the goddess Venus. Earlier reports had suggested that gold ingots were taken, though this was not confirmed by the latest account.
The classical wing is among the museum’s most significant areas, housing artifacts from the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods.
The museum was closed to the public on Wednesday. A security guard revealed that tourist visits will be suspended until next week.
The National Museum had previously been shuttered amid fears of looting shortly before Bashar al-Assad was removed from power last December by an Islamist coalition.
