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Ancient artifacts and additional items have been removed from the National Museum of Syria in the capital, officials say.

The theft was found on the start of the week, when staff reportedly found that a doorway had been forced from the inside.

The six taken sculptures were made of marble and traced back to the Roman era, one official stated to the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to establish the "circumstances surrounding the theft of a group of items", and that steps had been implemented to improve protection and monitoring systems.

The head of domestic security in Damascus province, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that law enforcement were investigating the incident, which he said had targeted several "historical artifacts and rare collectibles".

He added that guards at the museum and additional people were being interrogated.

The National Museum, which was created in the early twentieth century, holds the most important historical artifacts in the country.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the earliest linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from the ancient city, one of the most important ancient sites of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at an ancient location.

The museum was had to cease operations in the early 2010s, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. A large portion of the artifacts was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to protect them.

It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, one month after opposition groups deposed President Bashar al-Assad.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The militant faction blew up several religious structures and other structures at the ancient city, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco denounced the demolition as a war crime.

Countless historical objects were also lost or looted from historical locations and collections.