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Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, sources confirm.

The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when employees apparently found that an entrance had been forced from the inside.

The half-dozen taken sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, a source told the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "details surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that steps had been taken to improve security and observation methods.

The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

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

The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important archaeological collection in Syria.

It contains historical records dating back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the most ancient linguistic system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was evacuated and kept at secret locations to protect them.

It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The IS organization demolished numerous ancient buildings and additional edifices at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities condemned the demolition as a war crime.

Many cultural items were also lost or taken from dig sites and collections.