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Ancient statues and cultural objects have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.

The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when staff allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The multiple taken statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, an authority stated to the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a number of items", and that actions had been implemented to strengthen security and observation methods.

The chief of national security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that law enforcement were probing the robbery, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He continued that museum protectors at the facility and other individuals were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was created in 1919, holds the primary cultural treasures in the country.

It includes ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where indications of the earliest linguistic system was uncovered; Greco-Roman period Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, among the foremost historical locations of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, twelve months after the beginning of the devastating civil war. The majority of the collection was transferred and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, four weeks after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.

All six of nationally recognized sites were damaged or partly ruined during the civil war.

The militant faction demolished several temples and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the damage as a war crime.

Numerous cultural items were also lost or taken from historical locations and collections.