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Valuable artifacts and other artefacts have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, sources confirm.

The burglary was discovered on Monday, when employees reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.

The six taken pieces were crafted from marble and dated back to the ancient Roman times, an authority informed the Associated Press.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the loss of a group of exhibits", and that steps had been taken to strengthen protection and observation methods.

The director of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

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

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

It contains ancient inscribed tablets originating to the Bronze Age from historical site, where proof of the most ancient linguistic system was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, a significant cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was built 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 artifacts was transferred and preserved at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, a month after opposition groups overthrew the Assad regime.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or significantly impacted during the internal struggle.

The IS organization demolished numerous ancient buildings and historical sites at the archaeological site, stating that they were against their beliefs. International authorities censured the demolition as a atrocity.

Many artefacts were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.