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Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been stolen from Syria's National Museum in Damascus, officials say.

The robbery was discovered on Monday, when museum workers reportedly found that one of the museum's doors had been forced from the inside.

The half-dozen stolen pieces were made of marble and traced back to the Roman period, one official informed the Associated Press.

Syria's Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums said it had initiated an inquiry to determine the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that measures had been taken to enhance security and surveillance.

The director of national security in the capital area, General Osama Atkeh, was quoted by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

He added that security personnel at the facility and additional people were being interviewed.

The cultural institution, which was founded in 1919, holds the primary cultural treasures in Syria.

It includes ancient inscribed tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from an ancient city, where proof of the earliest writing system was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from Palmyra, among the foremost historical locations of the historical period; and a third century religious building that was constructed at Dura Europos.

The facility was forced to close in 2012, twelve months after the outbreak of the devastating civil war. Most of the collection was transferred and preserved at secret locations to protect them.

It partially resumed in recent years and returned to normal in early this year, four weeks after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar al-Assad.

All six of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partly ruined during the conflict.

The Islamic State group destroyed multiple ancient buildings and historical sites at the archaeological site, asserting that they were idolatrous. International authorities censured the demolition as a atrocity.

Numerous cultural items were also damaged or stolen from archaeological sites and cultural institutions.