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Ancient artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, authorities report.

The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that a doorway had been damaged from the interior.

The six taken pieces were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, a source stated to the media outlet.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "events surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been taken to improve security and observation methods.

The director of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that law enforcement were investigating the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and unique items".

He added that museum protectors at the facility and other persons were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the most important cultural treasures in Syria.

It includes historical records originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost cultural centres of the classical era; and a ancient religious building that was established at Dura Europos.

The museum was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and stored at secret locations to ensure their safety.

It partially resumed in 2018 and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The militant faction blew up several ancient buildings and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the damage as a war crime.

Countless historical objects were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and museums.