There are two sets of walls; between them, there are ten shaft tombs, which are a type of burial structure formed from graves built into natural rock.

The core of the superstructure was of mud brick with no internal walls; possibly a weight saving measure considering how close the pyramid was to the Nile.

The builders tried hastily installing supporting beams and mud brick walls to stop the sinking, but this final effort was unsuccessful and the pyramid was ultimately abandoned.

Although both chambers had been entered and looted in antiquity, archaeologists found many items overlooked by the looters, including one of Queen Aat's canopic jars.

By the 13th Dynasty, a lack of security led to local inhabitants using the Valley Temple as a granary and the pyramid being looted for the first time.

There is evidence of restoration work perhaps 100 years later, when King Auibre Hor and his princess Nubhetepti-khered were buried in two of the ten shaft tombs on the northern side of the outer enclosure.

The pyramid was built in one of the lowest regions of Egypt, only 10 metres (33 ft) above sea level, which allowed groundwater from the Nile to seep into the structure.

The poorly supported underground chambers, unsuitable building materials and low site elevation have all led to the sinking and subsequent collapse of the pyramid.