In pictures: Middle Eastern Christians mark Easter 2023

While Christianity was born in the Middle East, today followers of the faith are a minority in the region. Nevertheless, a number of countries in the area are home to large Christian minorities and public celebrations of religious festivals like Easter are common. In Christian tradition, the holiday marks the crucifixion of Jesus 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem and his subsequent resurrection and ascension to heaven.

Traditions associated with the occasion include services in churches, as well as parades and passion plays recalling Jesus' suffering. In the top image, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa leads Easter Sunday mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Old City of Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. This is where Christians believe Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose from the dead. In the image above, priests take part in a mass at the same church with lighted candles. (AP/Mahmoud Illean)

A woman leaves the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City after Easter Sunday mass. The city, which is holy to Jews, Muslims, and Christians, is especially busy this year as Passover, Ramadan, and Easter coincide.

Having long complained about discriminatory practices at the hands of the Israeli authorities, the Palestinian Christian church is especially concerned following proposals by key figures within Israel's ruling coalition to punish Christian missionary activity with a year in prison. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a statement assuring Christians that the idea would not be made into law. (AP/Maya Alleruzzo)

Iraqi Christians attend Easter Sunday religious services at Mar Youssif Chaldean Church in Baghdad. It is estimated that there were more than 1.5 million Christians in Iraq before the US-led invasion in 2003, but now only 400,000 remain. (AP/Hadi Mizban)

While western churches and some eastern ones use the Gregorian calendar, many Orthodox churches, such as the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church use the Julian calendar. That means that while western churches mark Easter Sunday on 9 April, in Egypt most Christians will mark it on 16 April. In the picture above, Egyptian Coptic Christians pray during a Palm Sunday mass at the Church and Monastery of the Virgin Mary, in Cairo, Egypt. Palm Sunday marks the start of the holy week that leads up to Easter. (AP/Amr Nabil)

Christians gather for Easter mass outside of the Armenian Surp Giragos church in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir. The building was damaged during clashes between the Turkish army and the Kurdish separatist PKK movement in 2015. But following repairs, the city's Armenian community was able to attend services at the church for the first time in eight years this Easter. (AFP/Sefettin Guncel)

A man and a child light candles during Easter mass at the Armenian Surp Giragos church in Turkey's Diyarbakir. The country is home to around 120,000 Christians, who mostly follow the Greek Orthodox or Armenian Apostolic rites. (AFP/Sefettin Guncel)

Lebanese Christians re-enact the crucifixion of Jesus during Good Friday celebrations in the southern Lebanese village of al-Qurayeh, near the port city of Sidon. (AFP/Mahmoud Zayyat)

A Syrian scout band joins an Easter Sunday parade in the capital Damascus. Scout bands are a common site at Easter parades across the region, normally playing instruments, such as drums and bagpipes. (AP/Omar Sanadiki)