Thousands of Christians mark Good Friday in Jerusalem

Christians from around the world gathered in Jerusalem on Friday to take part in traditional Good Friday festivities.

Celebrants carrying a large cross walked along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem’s Old City – believed by Christians to be the path walked by Jesus on the way to his crucifixion – towards the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Since early Friday morning, tourists and local Christian residents converged on the Bab al-Asbat, one of the gates of the Old City, before taking part in the festivities.

Participants held crosses aloft and chanted prayers while walking through the Old City’s streets and alleys amid a heavy Israeli police presence.

In the spring of each year, Christians from all over the world flock to Jerusalem’s Old City to take part in Good Friday and Easter Sunday celebrations.