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Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers apparently found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.

The multiple missing sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, one official informed the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had launched a probe to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that actions had been implemented to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The chief of internal security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as declaring that authorities were examining the robbery, which he said had focused on several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

He noted that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being questioned.

The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, holds the significant historical artifacts in the country.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known writing system was discovered; early centuries CE classical statues from Palmyra, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient religious building that was built at an ancient location.

The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the holdings was removed and kept at secure places to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, one month after insurgents deposed the Assad regime.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or partly ruined during the internal struggle.

The militant faction demolished multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at the ancient city, claiming that they were idolatrous. International authorities condemned the destruction as a violation.

Numerous artefacts were also lost or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.