Tehran might not seem like the most obvious pitstop for Santa Claus, but Iranians love the chintzy side of Christmas and it is also one of the safest places in the Middle East for Christians. 

Bethlehem, located in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is the "little town" where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born and it attracts thousands of pilgrims at Christmas.

The Nativity scene and Christmas tree are in place on the corner of the street. Some of the children proudly wear red Santa Claus hats or show off new toys, mostly plastic guns for small boys. Windows and balconies are festooned with colorful balloons.

It is unmistakably Christmas on Friday at the Ankawa camp, home to thousands of Iraqi Christians who have been displaced since the Islamic State group seized their towns and villages in the Nineveh plains of northern Iraq in 2014.

Crowds gathered in Bethlehem Saturday for Christmas Eve celebrations ahead of midnight mass at the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born, with more visitors expected than in 2015 due to a drop in violence.

The world's oldest mummies have just had an unusual check-up.

Stroll down almost any street in Ghana and you are sure to find churches, religious billboards and biblically-named shops.

Inside Aleppo's crumbling Saint Elias Cathedral, Nehme Badawi and his brother Bashir rummage through the snow-covered rubble for wood and scrap metal to make a crude Nativity scene for Christmas. 

Many precious stones have a blood-soaked history, but a new book reveals the world's most famous diamond the Koh-i-Noor surpasses them all, with a litany of horrors that rivals "Game of Thrones".

Preparations for Christmas are in full swing at the site of Jesus' birthplace, with Bethlehem shops, hotels and church officials planning for more visitors than 2015, when violence put a damper on celebrations.

Having to live with deserted streets, road blocks and the constant fear of jihadist attack, Christians in the Syrian town of Qamishli have little heart for Christmas this year.