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

The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that a doorway had been forced from the interior.

The multiple stolen statues were made of marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, a source informed the Associated Press.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that actions had been implemented to enhance safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The director of national security in the capital area, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as saying that authorities were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".

He noted that guards at the facility and other individuals were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, contains the primary historical artifacts in the country.

It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the classical era; and a third century synagogue that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, a year after the start of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It began limited operations in 2018 and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, one month after insurgents removed the Assad regime.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partly ruined during the conflict.

The IS organization demolished numerous religious structures and additional edifices at the archaeological site, stating that they were un-Islamic. Unesco denounced the damage as a violation.

Countless historical objects were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.