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

The robbery was discovered on Monday, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been broken from the inside.

The multiple taken statues were marble creations and dated back to the Roman period, an authority stated to the media outlet.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had initiated an inquiry to identify the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a group of exhibits", and that measures had been taken to strengthen security and monitoring systems.

The director of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the government press as saying that security forces were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".

He continued that museum protectors at the institution and other persons were being questioned.

The National Museum, which was established in 1919, contains the most important cultural treasures in Syria.

It contains historical records originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest writing system was found; Greco-Roman period classical statues from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was built at another archaeological site.

The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. A large portion of the holdings was transferred and kept at secret locations to protect them.

It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, one month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the internal struggle.

The militant faction demolished several temples and historical sites at the ancient city, asserting that they were un-Islamic. International authorities condemned the damage as a atrocity.

Many historical objects were also lost or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.