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Valuable artifacts and cultural objects have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The theft was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The six taken sculptures were marble creations and dated back to the Roman period, a source told the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a number of exhibits", and that steps had been implemented to improve protection and observation methods.

The head of domestic security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that security forces were examining the theft, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and unique items".

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

The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the most important historical artifacts in the country.

It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the ancient era from an ancient city, where indications of the oldest known complete alphabet was uncovered; early centuries CE classical statues from historical site, one of the most important cultural centres of the historical period; and a ancient religious building that was constructed at an ancient location.

The facility was forced to close in 2012, one year after the start of the destructive conflict. The majority of the artifacts was evacuated and preserved at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and resumed full operations in early this year, a month after rebel forces overthrew the Assad regime.

Every one of nationally recognized sites were affected or significantly impacted during the conflict.

The Islamic State group demolished several ancient buildings and additional edifices at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. The cultural organization censured the demolition as a violation.

Countless historical objects were also damaged or taken from archaeological sites and collections.