The casing has been plundered, and the top three steps of the core have been lost, leaving the pyramid a paltry 24 m (79 ft; 46 cu) tall.

It has its own enclosure wall, a mortuary temple and offering hall, storage rooms, antichambre carrée of unparalleled size, a small cult pyramid, and otherwise incorporates features that were previously reserved exclusively for the complexes of the king.

[4][3] Djedkare Isesi built his pyramid 6 km (3.7 mi) from the Abusir necropolis at a site in South Saqqara.

In the mid-1940s, Alexandŕe Varille and Abdel Salam Hussein attempted the first comprehensive examination of the pyramid, but their work was interrupted and their findings lost.

[32] The core of the pyramid was constructed in six steps composed of small irregular pieces of limestone blocks bound together using clay mortar.

[36] The roof of both the antechamber and burial chamber were constructed from two, or perhaps three, layers of gabled limestone blocks,[3][39] in the same fashion as the pyramids in Abusir.

[40] The rooms of the substructure have been badly damaged by stone thieves, who quarried the Tura limestone walls of the chambers,[38] which has made reconstruction of the planned layout difficult.

The masonry core has been exposed in the other chambers, and consists of crudely cut blocks and small limestone chips that were piled up to form the substructure of the pyramid.

[40] The substructure has been subject to significant on-going restoration work, particularly the consolidation of the pyramid's core and the walls of the antechamber and serdab.

[37][3] Underneath the rubble, only fragments of the sarcophagus and alabaster jars have been found,[3] along with a mummified body of a man in his fifties that is presumed to be the remains of Djedkare Isesi.

[43] The ground where the mortuary temple was constructed sloped sharply down towards the desert needing extensive preparation before the laying of the foundation.

[44] Its height remains unknown, though it is clear that it was covered based on blocks found painted with stars, a typical motif for the ceiling.

It appears to have been made entirely of white limestone, the same material that makes up the causeway to Sahure's pyramid, with walls decorated with raised relief.

[45] The causeway connects to the temple entrance hall between two large pylon structures,[3][28] an innovation from Nyuserre's pyramid, which were square with slightly inclined walls.

[28] A water drain made of crudely cut and carelessly set quartzite blocks was discovered running alongside the causeway.

[48][49] As in Sahure's mortuary temple, the columns bore the names and titles of the complexes' owner, Djedkare Isesi.

[51] The courtyard also once had a water drain built of red quartzite running along its axis and a relief decorated alabaster altar.

[57] Its central column supported the room's ceiling, and bore the names and titles of Djedkare Isesi, as well as an image of Nekhbet, the goddess of Upper Egypt.

They depict scenes of deities possessing Was-sceptres and ankh symbols, shrines of Upper and Lower Egypt, acts of slaughter, and bowing officials.

[29] The walls of the hall are the thickest of any room in the inner temple at 2.6 metres (8.5 ft; 5.0 cu) deep, owing to two rows of limestone blocks carved into the form of a vault.

These pillars were each 93 cm (3.05 ft) tall, carved on two sides into Djed signs, and appear to have been used as an architectural element in one of the chambers of the temple.

[29] The substructure had a standard T-shaped layout,[30] consisting of a downward sloping corridor leading to a single rectangular chamber slightly beneath ground level which was oriented east-west.

No similar structure has been located at other contemporary pyramid complexes of the Old Kingdom, and no companion building on the north side of the mortuary temple either.

[80] During 2018, a large area constrained between the northern pylon, the mortuary temple and enclosure wall, and Setibhor's pyramid complex was excavated.

The west sector most contained accumulated trash from the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period, including pottery, clay seals, and other small finds.

[82] The identity of the owner remained a mystery until 2019, when Setibhor's name and titles were found inscribed on a column in the complex.

[84] In 1952, Fahkry explored a necropolis containing seventeen mudbrick tombs located south of the causeway and adjoining the east side of the mortuary temple.

Other items recovered included faience beads and a seal stamp with a seated lion facing a crouching enemy.

Its side walls were decoratively painted with scenes of offerings and a palace façade motif, and have been well preserved, except for at its southern section.

[91] Above the burial chamber, in the space with the vaulted mudbrick ceiling, an offering table bearing the name Isesi was found.