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Historic statues and cultural objects have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.

The multiple stolen sculptures were made of marble and originated to the Roman era, a source stated to the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to improve safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The director of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as declaring that authorities were probing the robbery, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He continued that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interrogated.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant archaeological collection in the country.

It features historical records originating to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where indications of the oldest known writing system was discovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The museum was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was removed and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.

All six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or partly ruined during the conflict.

The militant faction demolished multiple ancient buildings and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the destruction as a violation.

Numerous artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.