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Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been taken from the National Museum of Syria 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 six taken pieces were crafted from marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official told the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to establish the "circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The chief of internal security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that law enforcement were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

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

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

It includes ancient inscribed tablets dating back to the ancient era from historical site, where indications of the oldest known linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.

The museum was compelled to shut in 2012, one year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the artifacts was transferred and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, a month after rebel forces deposed the Assad regime.

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

The Islamic State group blew up numerous ancient buildings and other structures at the ancient city, claiming that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the demolition as a atrocity.

Many historical objects were also destroyed or stolen from dig sites and collections.