Sahure's, now ruined, valley temple was situated on the shore of Abusir lake, on the edge of the desert.
It had a rectangular ground plan 32 m (105 ft; 61 cu) long by 24 metres (79 ft; 46 cu) wide and oriented on the north-south axis.
Its base is now around 5 m (16 ft) below ground level, which has risen over the millennia due to the accumulation of silt deposits during the annual Nile flood.
The temple's walls slope inwards as they rise, their corners are formed into a convex torus mould up to a cavetto cornice with its own horizontal torus mould.

The temple had two entrances.
Its main entrance, in the east, consisted of a landing ramp leading to a column adorned portico.
Its floor was paved with polished basalt, its walls had a red granite dado above which was limestone decorated with bas-relief, and it had a limestone ceiling that had been painted blue and decorated with relief-carved golden stars – representing the entrance into the Duat.
The columns were formed into date-palms, with leaves tied vertically to form capitals, and each column bore the king's titulary and name carved into the stone and painted green.
An alternate entrance was built on the south side, accessed by a canal leading to a ramp up to another columned portico, this time containing four red granite columns.
The columns, in contrast, were cylindrical in form and lacked any crown.
This portico was also less deep and was paved with limestone.
It remains unclear, why this entrance was built.
The wall may belong to Sahure's pyramid town, named "The soul of Sahure comes forth in glory".

The entrances were connected by passages to a T-shaped hall equipped with two columns.
Borchardt describes the room as "double staggered" (doppel gestafellt).
It has a transverse space with a narrowed recess in its rear wall containing the two columns – the first stagger.
Then an even narrower, recess in the first's rear wall – the second stagger.
The room was originally adorned with polychromatic relief, and contained a scene depicting the king, as a sphinx or griffin, trampling captive Asiatic and Libyan enemies led to him by the gods.
The room connects to two more rooms: a room with a staircase up to the roof terrace at the south end, and causeway at its rearmost recess.

A relief depiction of troops from Sahure's valley temple can be contrasted with similar imagery in Userkaf's complex.
In Sahure's scene, the soldiers are carved with near identical postures, a stark contrast to Userkaf's confused arrangement of overlapping figures.
The latter has greater dynamism inducing more interest, whilst the former is more readily understood.
The monotony of Sahure's scene was balanced by craftsmen introducing detail in the musculature and facial features of the figures.
Sahure's, now ruined, valley temple was situated on the shore of Abusir lake, on the edge of the desert. It had a rectangular ground plan 32 m (105 ft; 61 cu) long by 24 metres (79 ft; 46 cu) wide and oriented on the north-south axis. Its base is now around 5 m (16 ft) below ground level, which has risen over the millennia due to the accumulation of silt deposits during the annual Nile flood. The temple's walls slope inwards as they rise, their corners are formed into a convex torus mould up to a cavetto cornice with its own horizontal torus mould.
The temple had two entrances. Its main entrance, in the east, consisted of a landing ramp leading to a column adorned portico. Its floor was paved with polished basalt, its walls had a red granite dado above which was limestone decorated with bas-relief, and it had a limestone ceiling that had been painted blue and decorated with relief-carved golden stars – representing the entrance into the Duat. The columns were formed into date-palms, with leaves tied vertically to form capitals, and each column bore the king's titulary and name carved into the stone and painted green. An alternate entrance was built on the south side, accessed by a canal leading to a ramp up to another columned portico, this time containing four red granite columns. The columns, in contrast, were cylindrical in form and lacked any crown. This portico was also less deep and was paved with limestone. It remains unclear, why this entrance was built. The wall may belong to Sahure's pyramid town, named "The soul of Sahure comes forth in glory".
The entrances were connected by passages to a T-shaped hall equipped with two columns. Borchardt describes the room as "double staggered" (doppel gestafellt). It has a transverse space with a narrowed recess in its rear wall containing the two columns – the first stagger. Then an even narrower, recess in the first's rear wall – the second stagger. The room was originally adorned with polychromatic relief, and contained a scene depicting the king, as a sphinx or griffin, trampling captive Asiatic and Libyan enemies led to him by the gods. The room connects to two more rooms: a room with a staircase up to the roof terrace at the south end, and causeway at its rearmost recess.
A relief depiction of troops from Sahure's valley temple can be contrasted with similar imagery in Userkaf's complex. In Sahure's scene, the soldiers are carved with near identical postures, a stark contrast to Userkaf's confused arrangement of overlapping figures. The latter has greater dynamism inducing more interest, whilst the former is more readily understood. The monotony of Sahure's scene was balanced by craftsmen introducing detail in the musculature and facial features of the figures.
Pyramid of Sahure