Sahure, the 2nd king of the 5th dynasty ruled Egypt
for some 12 years. He constructed the first pyramid at Abusir. A great many
extremely beautiful high relief's were found here by Borchardt when he excavated
in 1902-1908. The core of the pyramid is formed with roughly shaped locally
quarried limestone blocks. It consisted of five or six steps. The mortuary
temple on the east side is quite well preserved with many granite pillars
and blocks with Sahure's cartouche still visible. Sahure's pyramid is the
first structure to greet the visitor at Abusir.
