... the cave became a beautiful palace for the Queen.

A Christian pilgrim is reflected in an icon at the Church of the Nativity, where many Christians believe Jesus Christ was born, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Thursday. So far this year, 1.4 million tourists have visited the traditional birthplace of Jesus and 90,000 are expected during the Christmas season, a significant increase over last year, according to Israeli government figures. The numbers of visitors have been rising steadily in recent years.(AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)