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Ancient sculptures and other artefacts have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.

The burglary was noticed on the start of the week, when staff apparently found that an entrance had been damaged from the interior.

The six missing pieces were marble creations and traced back to the Roman period, one official informed the news agency.

Cultural heritage officials said it had opened an investigation to identify the "details surrounding the theft of a collection of exhibits", and that actions had been enacted to enhance security and monitoring systems.

The director of national security in the capital area, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was referenced by the official media as declaring that authorities were examining the incident, which he said had focused on several "archaeological statues and rare collectibles".

He noted that security personnel at the museum and other individuals were being interviewed.

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

It features clay cuneiform tablets tracing back to the ancient era from historical site, where indications of the most ancient writing system was discovered; 1st and 2nd Century AD classical statues from historical site, among the foremost cultural centres of the historical period; and a third century Jewish temple that was constructed at another archaeological site.

The institution was had to cease operations in 2012, one year after the outbreak of the internal strife. The majority of the collection was evacuated 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 opposition groups removed Syria's former leader.

Each of the six of the country's cultural landmarks were damaged or partly ruined during the conflict.

The militant faction demolished multiple religious structures and historical sites at the archaeological site, stating that they were idolatrous. The cultural organization censured the destruction as a war crime.

Countless historical objects were also destroyed or looted from dig sites and cultural institutions.