Aswan (,
also ; ar, أسوان, ʾAswān ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ ) is a city in
Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the
Aswan Governorate
Aswān Governorate (Arabic: محافظة أسوان) is one of the governorates of Egypt. The southernmost governorate in Upper Egypt, covering most of Lake Nasser. The Governorate's capital is Aswan.
The Aswan Governorate borders Qena Governo ...
.
Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the
Aswan Dam on the east bank of the
Nile
The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin language, Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered ...
at the
first cataract. The modern city has expanded and includes the formerly separate community on the island of
Elephantine.
Aswan includes five monuments within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the
Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae (despite Aswan being neither Nubian, nor between Abu Simbel and Philae); these are the Old and Middle Kingdom tombs of
Qubbet el-Hawa, the town of
Elephantine, the
stone quarries and Unfinished Obelisk, the
Monastery of St. Simeon and the
Fatimid Cemetery. The city's
Nubian Museum is an important archaeological center, containing finds from the
International Campaign to Save the Monuments of Nubia prior to the
Aswan Dam's flooding of all of
Lower Nubia.
The city is part of the
UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the category of craft and folk art. Aswan joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2017.
Other spellings and variations
Aswan was formerly spelled Assuan or Assouan. Names in other languages include ( ar, أسوان, ʾAswān;
Ancient Egyptian: ; cop, Ⲥⲟⲩⲁⲛ, Souan; grc, Συήνη, Suēnē; proposed
Biblical Hebrew: סְוֵנֵה ''Sǝwēnê''). The