Dendera is a small Upper Egyptian town located about 70 kilometers north of Luxor. The main attraction of the temple complex of Dendera is the Hathor Temple, perhaps the best-preserved temple in Upper Egypt. The entire complex covers around 40,000 m² and is surrounded by a mighty mud-brick wall. The current Hathor Temple dates from 54 BC, from the Ptolemaic dynasty, and was completed by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. However, the temple rests on the foundations of earlier buildings dating back to at least the reign of Pharaoh Cheops (known as the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza). In addition to the Hathor Temple, the site also contains Roman and pharaonic mammisi (birth houses), the ruins of a Coptic church and a small chapel dedicated to the goddess Isis from the Roman or Ptolemaic era.

About 100 kilometers north of Dendera lies Abydos, one of the oldest ancient Egyptian cities. The Holy City is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt and was home to numerous ancient temples, including Umm el Qaab, a royal necropolis where early pharaohs were buried. These tombs were considered extremely important burials, so it became desirable to be buried in the area, which led to the city's increasing importance as a place of worship. In the Middle Kingdom, Abydos developed into the main place of worship of the god Osiris and served as the venue for the annual Osiris Mysteries.

Today, Abydos is best known for the mortuary temple of Sethos I, which contains a unique inscription from the 19th dynasty, known in the modern world as the "Abydos King List". This is a chronological list with cartouches of most of Egypt's dynastic pharaohs, from Menes to the father of Sethos I, Ramses I. Also noteworthy are the "Abydos Graffiti", ancient Phoenician and Aramaic graffiti found on the walls of the temple of Sethos I.