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Historic sculptures and other artefacts have been stolen from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

The burglary was found on the start of the week, when museum workers reportedly found that an entrance had been damaged from the inside.

The six missing statues were crafted from marble and originated to the Roman era, one official told the media outlet.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had launched a probe to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a collection of items", and that measures had been taken to strengthen safeguarding and monitoring systems.

The head of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was cited by the official media as saying that security forces were probing the incident, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He continued that guards at the institution and additional people were being interviewed.

The cultural institution, which was created in the early twentieth century, contains the most important archaeological collection in the country.

It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from Ugarit, where evidence of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was built at an ancient location.

The facility was compelled to shut in 2012, twelve months after the start of the devastating civil war. Most of the artifacts was removed and preserved at secure places to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, one month after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were damaged or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The militant faction blew up multiple religious structures and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization denounced the destruction as a war crime.

Many cultural items were also destroyed or stolen from historical locations and cultural institutions.