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

The theft was noticed on Monday, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.

The six taken sculptures were crafted from marble and dated back to the Roman era, an authority informed the news agency.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that measures had been taken to enhance security and observation methods.

The director of internal security in the Damascus region, General Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were examining the robbery, which he said had targeted several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He added that museum protectors at the facility and other individuals were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was founded in 1919, holds the primary cultural treasures in the country.

It contains clay cuneiform tablets dating back to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the oldest known linguistic system was uncovered; early centuries CE ancient art from historical site, one of the most important ancient sites of the ancient world; and a third century religious building that was established at another archaeological site.

The institution was forced to close in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the destructive conflict. The majority of the holdings was transferred and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.

It reopened partially in 2018 and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew Syria's former leader.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or partially destroyed during the civil war.

The IS organization blew up multiple temples and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco condemned the damage as a violation.

Many cultural items were also lost or looted from archaeological sites and museums.