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Ancient sculptures and additional items have been taken from the National Museum of Syria in Damascus, officials say.

The burglary was found on the start of the week, when employees reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the interior.

The six missing pieces were made of marble and originated to the Roman period, an authority informed the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a group of items", and that measures had been taken to improve protection and monitoring systems.

The chief of domestic security in Damascus province, Security Chief Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as saying that law enforcement were investigating the theft, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and unique items".

He added that museum protectors at the facility and additional people were being interviewed.

The Damascus Museum, which was founded in the early twentieth century, holds the significant historical artifacts in Syria.

It contains historical records tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where indications of the most ancient complete alphabet was uncovered; Greco-Roman period ancient art from the ancient city, among the foremost ancient sites of the historical period; and a third century religious building that was built at Dura Europos.

The facility was forced to close in the early 2010s, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the artifacts was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to safeguard them.

It began limited operations in recent years and returned to normal in the beginning of the year, four weeks after insurgents deposed the Assad regime.

Every one of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or significantly impacted during the civil war.

The Islamic State group destroyed numerous religious structures and other structures at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the demolition as a violation.

Many cultural items were also lost or taken from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.