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Valuable sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, sources confirm.

The theft was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.

The multiple taken pieces were marble creations and originated to the Roman period, a source stated to the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that steps had been implemented to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.

The head of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as saying that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He continued that museum protectors at the museum and other persons were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the primary archaeological collection in Syria.

It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at another archaeological site.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces removed Syria's former leader.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle.

The militant faction destroyed numerous religious structures and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were un-Islamic. The cultural organization denounced the demolition as a war crime.

Many cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and collections.