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Valuable statues and cultural objects have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, authorities report.

The robbery was discovered on Monday, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The multiple taken statues were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source 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 loss of a number of exhibits", and that steps had been enacted to improve protection and surveillance.

The head of domestic security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He noted that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the most important historical artifacts in Syria.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.

The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, a month after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The militant faction demolished multiple religious structures and additional edifices at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the damage as a atrocity.

Numerous artefacts were also lost or looted from dig sites and museums.