Site features 10 limestone courses, deep trench, pit and boat pit. Petrie documented 10 courses of limestone blocks around the pit, creating a mass approximately 300 ft square and 40 ft high The natural limestone bedrock dips approximately 12 degrees east to west If completed, natural rock would have constituted around 30-44% of the pyramid's total volume
Excavations at Abu Rawash reveal massive scale: Petrie documented limestone block courses forming the nucleus of what would have been a significant pyramid. The natural bedrock at the site and the unfinished state of construction have been documented through modern excavations. The site contains a large pit structure and evidence of sophisticated construction techniques, including granite casing stones that appear unfinished with rough outer faces.
Key Facts
- Petrie documented 10 courses of limestone blocks around the pit, creating a mass approximately 300 ft square and 40 ft high
- The natural limestone bedrock dips approximately 12 degrees east to west
- If completed, natural rock would have constituted around 30-44% of the pyramid's total volume
- The trench is 7.5m at its widest, with a base width of 5.5m and 49m in length
- The pit measures 22m by 9m with a depth of around 20m below the top of the nucleus
- The trench angle of inclination was measured as 22 degrees by Petrie but later found to be 27-28 degrees
- Fine Tura limestone was used to line the trench, with traces of 4th dynasty pink mortar found
- The boat pit is 37m long and 9.5m in depth with steps cut into the rock at its ends
- Granite casing stones were found unfinished with rough, undressed outer faces
Related site: Abu Rawash — view location, images, and history on the Ancient Nerds map.
Source: The Mystery of Abu Rawash: Was it REALLY an Egyptian Pyramid? by Ancient Architects