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Valuable artifacts and additional items have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, authorities report.

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

The six taken statues were marble creations and traced back to the Roman era, an authority told the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a number of items", and that actions had been enacted to improve protection and monitoring systems.

The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that law enforcement were probing the incident, which he said had affected several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He noted that guards at the institution and other individuals were being interviewed.

The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the primary cultural treasures in the country.

It features historical records dating back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, a significant ancient sites of the classical era; and a ancient synagogue that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, twelve months after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the collection was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, a month after rebel forces deposed the Assad regime.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partly ruined during the civil war.

The Islamic State group destroyed several religious structures and additional edifices at Palmyra, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco condemned the destruction as a war crime.

Countless historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.