[4] This new method of construction was not particularly efficient, however, and the completed pyramid suffered from stability problems.

Unusually, clear evidence for the ramps used to construct the pyramid also remain.

From the mortuary, a limestone causeway with carved statues set every 10 cubits ran to a public temple outside the perimeter wall of the compound.

None of the excavations penetrated to the burial chamber due to high water levels, but much was learned about pyramid construction from the surrounding quarries, which contained one of the highest concentrations of ancient debris of any Egyptian archaeological site.

From 1906 to 1943, the pyramid was excavated by a team from the Metropolitan Museum of Art headed initially by Albert Lythgoe, Arthur Mace and Ambrose Lansing [de].