Sahure choose a site near Abusir for his funerary monument, thus constructing the first pyramid in the region.
Earlier, the founder of the Fifth Dynasty, Userkaf, had chosen Abusir as the location for his sun temple.
It is unclear why Userkaf chose such a remote site.
It may have been significant for the nearby cult of Ra, or, in the opinion of the Egyptologist Werner Kaiser, the southernmost point from which the gilded obelisk pyramidion of the temple of Re in Heliopolis could be seen.
It is clear, however, that his decision influenced the history of Abusir, including Sahure's decision to build his monument there.
Three of the Abusir pyramids, those of Sahure, Neferirkare and Neferefre, are linked at the northwest corners by an imaginary line running to Heliopolis (Iunu).
The diagonal was broken by Nyuserre, who positioned his complex between those of Neferirkare and Sahure.

Early excavators neglected to perform thorough investigations of Sahure's monument, perhaps discouraged by its ruined state.
In 1838, John Shae Perring, an engineer working under Colonel Howard Vyse, cleared the entrances to the Sahure, Neferirkare and Nyuserre pyramids.
Perring was also the first person to enter the substructure of Sahure's pyramid.
Five years later, Karl Richard Lepsius, sponsored by King Frederick William IV of Prussia, explored the Abusir necropolis and catalogued Sahure's pyramid as XVIII.
The pyramid was re-entered later by Jacques de Morgan, but he too did not explore further.
It then remained ignored for fifty years, until the Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt visited the site.

From 1902–8, Borchardt, working for the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society), had the Abusir pyramids resurveyed and had their adjoining temples and causeways excavated.
From March 1907 to March 1908, Borchardt had Sahure's pyramid thoroughly investigated, and he had trial digs conducted at nearby sites, including Neferefre's unfinished pyramid.
He published his discoveries in the two-volume study Das Grabdenkmal des Königs Sahu-re (1910–13), which remains the standard work on the complex.

In 1994, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities decided to have the Abusir necropolis opened to tourism.
In preparation, they had restorative works conducted at Sahure's pyramid.
The architect Zahi Hawass had a segment of Sahure's causeway cleaned and reconstructed, during which large relief decorated limestone blocks, that had been buried in the sand, were uncovered.
The reliefs found on these blocks were thematically and artistically unique and shed new light on the decorative program of the complex.
Sahure choose a site near Abusir for his funerary monument, thus constructing the first pyramid in the region. Earlier, the founder of the Fifth Dynasty, Userkaf, had chosen Abusir as the location for his sun temple. It is unclear why Userkaf chose such a remote site. It may have been significant for the nearby cult of Ra, or, in the opinion of the Egyptologist Werner Kaiser, the southernmost point from which the gilded obelisk pyramidion of the temple of Re in Heliopolis could be seen. It is clear, however, that his decision influenced the history of Abusir, including Sahure's decision to build his monument there. Three of the Abusir pyramids, those of Sahure, Neferirkare and Neferefre, are linked at the northwest corners by an imaginary line running to Heliopolis (Iunu). The diagonal was broken by Nyuserre, who positioned his complex between those of Neferirkare and Sahure.
Early excavators neglected to perform thorough investigations of Sahure's monument, perhaps discouraged by its ruined state. In 1838, John Shae Perring, an engineer working under Colonel Howard Vyse, cleared the entrances to the Sahure, Neferirkare and Nyuserre pyramids. Perring was also the first person to enter the substructure of Sahure's pyramid. Five years later, Karl Richard Lepsius, sponsored by King Frederick William IV of Prussia, explored the Abusir necropolis and catalogued Sahure's pyramid as XVIII. The pyramid was re-entered later by Jacques de Morgan, but he too did not explore further. It then remained ignored for fifty years, until the Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt visited the site.
From 1902–8, Borchardt, working for the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft (German Oriental Society), had the Abusir pyramids resurveyed and had their adjoining temples and causeways excavated. From March 1907 to March 1908, Borchardt had Sahure's pyramid thoroughly investigated, and he had trial digs conducted at nearby sites, including Neferefre's unfinished pyramid. He published his discoveries in the two-volume study Das Grabdenkmal des Königs Sahu-re (1910–13), which remains the standard work on the complex.
In 1994, the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities decided to have the Abusir necropolis opened to tourism. In preparation, they had restorative works conducted at Sahure's pyramid. The architect Zahi Hawass had a segment of Sahure's causeway cleaned and reconstructed, during which large relief decorated limestone blocks, that had been buried in the sand, were uncovered. The reliefs found on these blocks were thematically and artistically unique and shed new light on the decorative program of the complex.
Pyramid of Sahure