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Historic artifacts and other artefacts have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The robbery was discovered on the start of the week, when employees allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.

The six missing statues were made of marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official stated to the Associated Press.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "details surrounding the theft of a group of artifacts", and that steps had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and surveillance.

The chief of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were probing the theft, which he said had focused on several "ancient sculptures and unique items".

He noted that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.

The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, contains the primary cultural treasures in Syria.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the ancient era from Ugarit, where indications of the earliest complete alphabet was found; early centuries CE ancient art from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a ancient synagogue that was established at another archaeological site.

The museum was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the beginning of the internal strife. A large portion of the collection was removed and kept at secure places to safeguard them.

It partially resumed in 2018 and completely reopened in early this year, a month after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The IS organization destroyed multiple ancient buildings and other structures at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the demolition as a atrocity.

Countless artefacts were also destroyed or looted from historical locations and cultural institutions.