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

The burglary was discovered on the start of the week, when museum workers allegedly found that one of the museum's doors had been broken from the inside.

The half-dozen missing sculptures were marble creations and originated to the Roman era, a source informed the media outlet.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to determine the "events surrounding the loss of a collection of items", and that actions had been taken to improve safeguarding and observation methods.

The head of national security in the Damascus region, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the state-run Sana news agency as declaring that security forces were probing the robbery, which he said had affected several "historical artifacts and valuable objects".

He added that security personnel at the institution and additional people were being interrogated.

The cultural institution, which was created in 1919, houses the significant cultural treasures in the country.

It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the Bronze Age from an ancient city, where proof of the earliest complete alphabet was uncovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from Palmyra, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a 3rd Century AD religious building that was established at an ancient location.

The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, a year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the holdings was removed and preserved at secret locations to protect them.

It partially resumed in recent years and completely reopened in the beginning of the year, four weeks after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were affected or partially destroyed during the conflict.

The Islamic State group demolished multiple ancient buildings and other structures at Palmyra, stating that they were against their beliefs. Unesco censured the destruction as a violation.

Countless cultural items were also damaged or looted from dig sites and museums.