The building was noticed during the early archaeological studies of the necropolis of Abusir, but not subject to thorough investigation.
John Shae Perring (1835–1837), Karl Richard Lepsius (1842–1846), who catalogued the ruins as XXVI in his pyramid list, Jacques de Morgan, and Ludwig Borchardt each gave limited attention to the building.

Borchardt carried out a trial excavation at the site, digging a trench into the open ditch that spanned from the north face of the monument to its center.
He anticipated that if the tomb was functional, he would encounter the passage leading to the burial chamber.
Substructure passages had north-south orientations pointing to the pole star, where Ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh would join Re in the sky and remain in the "heavenly ocean" for all eternity.
By contrast the burial- and ante- chambers were oriented east-west, and the mummy itself was placed against the western wall with its head pointed north, but facing east.
The experimental dig failed to find the passage, leading Borchardt to conclude that the structure was left incomplete and unused.
Either by chance or error, Borchardt abandoned the dig whilst perhaps only 1 m (3.3 ft) away from discovering remnants of the passage.
As a consequence of Borchardt's decision, the function of the monument and the identity of its owner remained a mystery for seventy years.
The building was noticed during the early archaeological studies of the necropolis of Abusir, but not subject to thorough investigation. John Shae Perring (1835–1837), Karl Richard Lepsius (1842–1846), who catalogued the ruins as XXVI in his pyramid list, Jacques de Morgan, and Ludwig Borchardt each gave limited attention to the building.
Borchardt carried out a trial excavation at the site, digging a trench into the open ditch that spanned from the north face of the monument to its center. He anticipated that if the tomb was functional, he would encounter the passage leading to the burial chamber. Substructure passages had north-south orientations pointing to the pole star, where Ancient Egyptians believed that the pharaoh would join Re in the sky and remain in the "heavenly ocean" for all eternity. By contrast the burial- and ante- chambers were oriented east-west, and the mummy itself was placed against the western wall with its head pointed north, but facing east. The experimental dig failed to find the passage, leading Borchardt to conclude that the structure was left incomplete and unused. Either by chance or error, Borchardt abandoned the dig whilst perhaps only 1 m (3.3 ft) away from discovering remnants of the passage. As a consequence of Borchardt's decision, the function of the monument and the identity of its owner remained a mystery for seventy years.
Pyramid of Neferefre