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Valuable sculptures and additional items have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The burglary was discovered on Monday, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.

The half-dozen taken sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, an authority told the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that steps had been enacted to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The director of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and unique items".

He added that museum protectors at the museum and other persons were being questioned.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The institution was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. A large portion of the holdings was removed and kept at secret locations to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after opposition groups overthrew Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The militant faction blew up numerous ancient buildings and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the damage as a atrocity.

Countless cultural items were also damaged or stolen from dig sites and museums.