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Ancient artifacts and cultural objects have been removed from Syria's National Museum in the capital, officials say.

The robbery was noticed on the start of the week, when museum workers apparently found that one of the museum's doors had been damaged from the inside.

The six missing pieces were marble creations and dated back to the Roman era, one official stated to the Associated Press.

The nation's antiquities authority said it had opened an investigation to determine the "events surrounding the theft of a number of exhibits", and that measures had been implemented to improve protection and observation methods.

The director of internal security in Damascus province, Brig-Gen Osama Atkeh, was cited by the state-run Sana news agency as stating that authorities were investigating the incident, which he said had affected several "archaeological statues and valuable objects".

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

The Damascus Museum, which was established in the early twentieth century, houses the primary historical artifacts in the country.

It includes clay cuneiform tablets originating to the 14th Century BC from historical site, where evidence of the oldest known complete alphabet was discovered; early centuries CE Greco-Roman sculptures from historical site, a significant cultural centres of the classical era; and a third century Jewish temple that was established at Dura Europos.

The facility was forced to close in 2012, one year after the start of the internal strife. Most of the holdings was transferred and stored at undisclosed sites to ensure their safety.

It reopened partially in recent years and completely reopened in early this year, one month after opposition groups removed President Bashar al-Assad.

Every one of Syria's Unesco World Heritage sites were harmed or partially destroyed during the civil war.

The Islamic State group blew up numerous temples and additional edifices at the archaeological site, claiming that they were idolatrous. Unesco condemned the demolition as a atrocity.

Countless artefacts were also destroyed or stolen from dig sites and cultural institutions.