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Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The theft was noticed on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.

The six missing statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman era, one official informed the Associated Press.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of artifacts", and that steps had been implemented to enhance protection and observation methods.

The director of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He noted that guards at the facility and other persons were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, contains the primary cultural treasures in the country.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.

The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the beginning of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The IS organization demolished multiple religious structures and other structures at the archaeological site, stating that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the damage as a war crime.

Numerous artefacts were also damaged or stolen from historical locations and museums.