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Ancient sculptures and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, sources confirm.

The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.

The six taken statues were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source told the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that measures had been taken to strengthen protection and observation methods.

The chief of national security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the government press as stating that security forces were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He continued that guards at the facility and additional people were being interrogated.

The Damascus Museum, which was created in 1919, contains the most important archaeological collection in the country.

It features historical records tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The facility was forced to close in 2012, one year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups removed the Assad regime.

Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.

The militant faction demolished numerous religious structures and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the demolition as a violation.

Many artefacts were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and museums.