Sacred city, one of the most important archaeological sites of ancient Egypt.
It was a royal necropolis of the first two dynasties and later a pilgrimage centre for the worship of Osiris . The pharaohs, including Thutmose III and Ramses III , embellished the temple to Osiris, and some pharaohs had cenotaph s at Abydos. The temple of Seti I, one of the most beautiful, has helped decode Egyptian history: in a long gallery is a relief, the so-called Abydos list of kings, showing Seti and his son Ramses making offerings to the cartouches of 76 dead predecessors.