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Historic sculptures and additional items have been taken from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

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

The multiple missing statues were made of marble and dated back to the Roman period, an authority told the Associated Press.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "events surrounding the loss of a number of artifacts", and that measures had been implemented to strengthen security and surveillance.

The head of internal security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that authorities were investigating the robbery, which he said had targeted several "ancient sculptures and valuable objects".

He continued that guards at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.

The cultural institution, which was established in 1919, holds the most important historical artifacts in Syria.

It includes ancient inscribed tablets originating to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where evidence of the oldest known linguistic system was found; 1st and 2nd Century AD ancient art from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the ancient world; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at an ancient location.

The facility was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the outbreak of the internal strife. Most of the holdings was removed and stored at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in recent years and resumed full operations in the beginning of the year, a month after insurgents overthrew Syria's former leader.

All six of the country's cultural landmarks were harmed or significantly impacted during the civil war.

The Islamic State group destroyed multiple temples and other structures at Palmyra, claiming that they were un-Islamic. International authorities denounced the destruction as a atrocity.

Countless historical objects were also destroyed or taken from historical locations and cultural institutions.