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

The burglary was found on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.

The half-dozen taken statues were crafted from marble and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority told the media outlet.

Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "details surrounding the disappearance of a group of items", and that measures had been enacted to improve protection and surveillance.

The chief of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that security forces were investigating the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and rare collectibles".

He added that guards at the museum and additional people were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in the country.

It contains historical records tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where proof of the oldest known writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, one of the most important historical locations of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and stored at secret locations to protect them.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, one month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The Islamic State group destroyed multiple temples and historical sites at Palmyra, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the damage as a war crime.

Numerous cultural items were also damaged or looted from archaeological sites and collections.