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Ancient statues and cultural objects 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 museum workers apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.

The half-dozen stolen statues were marble creations and originated to the ancient Roman times, a source stated to the Associated Press.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that steps had been enacted to strengthen protection and monitoring systems.

The director of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that authorities were probing the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

He continued that museum protectors at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.

The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the primary cultural treasures in Syria.

It features ancient inscribed tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known writing system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the historical period; and a ancient synagogue that was established at an ancient location.

The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was evacuated and stored at secure places to protect them.

It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.

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

The IS organization demolished several ancient buildings and other structures at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. International authorities denounced the damage as a war crime.

Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.