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

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

The half-dozen stolen statues were crafted from marble and originated to the ancient Roman times, one official informed the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "details surrounding the disappearance of a collection of items", and that measures had been enacted to improve protection and surveillance.

The director of national security in the Damascus region, Security Chief Atkeh, was cited by the government press as saying that security forces were probing the theft, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and unique items".

He noted that guards at the facility and additional people were being interviewed.

The National Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, holds the significant cultural treasures in Syria.

It features clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where evidence of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost ancient sites of the ancient world; and a ancient Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The institution was compelled to shut in the early 2010s, one year after the beginning of the internal strife. Most of the collection was transferred and kept at secret locations to protect them.

It began limited operations in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, one month after rebel forces removed the Assad regime.

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

The Islamic State group destroyed several temples and historical sites at Palmyra, asserting that they were idolatrous. Unesco denounced the demolition as a atrocity.

Numerous historical objects were also lost or stolen from archaeological sites and collections.