Name of a hieroglyphic symbol in the shape of a rectangle, representing the façade of the king's palace. The design, probably based on the exterior of the first residences, is also known from tombs from the Early Dynastic Period and the Old Kingdom, from doors of shrines, and from sarcophagi. Inside the serekh, a number of hieroglyphs spell out the Horus name of the king. A Horus falcon is nearly always shown on top of the serekh, an illustration of the concept 'Horus (the king was the incarnation of Horus) on (= in) the palace'. During the 2nd Dynasty, the god Horus was occasionally replaced on top of the serekh by Seth.