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Historic sculptures and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when staff allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.

The six stolen statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, an authority stated to the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to determine the "events surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that measures had been implemented to improve protection and monitoring systems.

The head of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".

He noted that guards at the museum and other individuals were being questioned.

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the primary historical artifacts in Syria.

It features ancient inscribed tablets originating to the Bronze Age from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient writing system was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It began limited operations in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

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

The Islamic State group destroyed numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization condemned the damage as a war crime.

Countless cultural items were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and collections.