Serekh

For the character in the Schechter Letter, see Serakh.
Serekh in hieroglyphs
S29r
Aa1		 O33

(Unicode: 𓊁 )
srḫ/ serekh
façade (of the palace)
Line drawing of a serekh
Horus serekh, heavily embellished form

In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a serekh is a rectangular enclosure representing the niched or gated façade of a palace surmounted by (usually) the Horus falcon, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name. The serekh was the earliest convention used to set apart the royal name in ancient Egyptian iconography, predating the later and better known cartouche by four dynasties and five to seven hundred years.