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Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

The theft was discovered on Monday, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.

The multiple stolen statues were marble creations and traced back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the media outlet.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that steps had been implemented to improve security and monitoring systems.

The head of domestic security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as saying that authorities were probing the theft, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

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

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the primary cultural treasures in the country.

It includes ancient inscribed tablets originating to the Bronze Age from historical site, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was removed and kept at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It partially resumed in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, four weeks after rebel forces removed the Assad regime.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the civil war.

The Islamic State group destroyed several ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the demolition as a war crime.

Countless artefacts were also damaged or looted from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.