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Ancient statues and additional items have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, authorities report.

The burglary was found on Monday, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.

The six stolen sculptures were crafted from marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source told the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and surveillance.

The director of internal security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that authorities were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He added that security personnel at the institution and other individuals were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important cultural treasures in Syria.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the ancient era from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known linguistic system was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The institution was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at secure places to protect them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups deposed the Assad regime.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the civil war.

The militant faction blew up multiple religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization condemned the demolition as a violation.

Countless cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from dig sites and collections.