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Valuable statues and additional items have been removed from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The theft was found on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been broken from the interior.

The multiple missing sculptures were made of marble and dated back to the Roman period, an authority told the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to strengthen security and monitoring systems.

The head of internal security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the official media as stating that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He added that security personnel at the museum and additional people were being interviewed.

The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, contains the significant archaeological collection in Syria.

It features historical records tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the oldest known complete alphabet was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from the ancient city, a significant historical locations of the historical period; and a third century religious building that was established at another archaeological site.

The facility was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was removed and kept at secure places to safeguard them.

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

All six of nationally recognized sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.

The Islamic State group blew up multiple religious structures and additional edifices at the ancient city, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco censured the damage as a war crime.

Numerous cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and museums.