Buried Pyramid, Unfinished step pyramid in Saqqara, Egypt

The Buried Pyramid is the unfinished step pyramid of Sekhemkhet at Saqqara, built c. 2645 BC. It stands only about 8 metres high, resembling a mastaba, with a base of 115 metres. Its limestone blocks are inclined inwards by 15°, and the structure was never given its limestone casing.

This tomb was built during the Third Dynasty around 2640 BCE for Pharaoh Sekhemkhet and marks a turning point between simple flat-roofed tombs and monumental pyramid complexes. Its unfinished state tells us how construction projects were halted during this early phase of Egyptian architectural development.

The pyramid's ancient name is unknown; it is called the Buried Pyramid because it lay hidden under sand until 1951. A graffito on the enclosure wall names Imhotep, the architect credited with Djoser's step pyramid, though without titles, so his role here remains uncertain.

The pyramid may be visited, but the public is not allowed access to the base and substructures. The enclosure wall, 5.2 m tall and 18 m thick, and the 8 m high step remain visible above ground. The site lies several hundred metres southwest of Djoser's Step Pyramid.

The burial chamber held a sealed alabaster sarcophagus cut from a single block, but when Zakaria Goneim opened it on 26 June 1954 it was empty. The chamber and its magazines were left unfinished, and the public cannot enter the substructure today.