- Asw─n, on the Nile, in Egypt
city, capital of Asw─n mu?─fa?ah (governorate), Egypt, on the east bank of the Nile just below the First Cataract. It faces the island of Elephantine (modern Jaz┤rat Asw─n), on which stand the ruins of the ancient city of Yeb. Asw─n was the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt. Its local quarries supplied granite for many ancient Egyptian monuments and are still operated. On the Nile's eastern bank was the site of the ancient city of Swen (ancient Egyptian: “the Mart”), whence came the Greek Syene and the Arabic Asw─n. Asw─n later served as a frontier garrison post for the Romans, Turks, and British. Modern Asw─n is an administrative centre, winter resort, and commercial centre, receiving trade from The Sudan. It is also an industrial centre, with a copper- and steel-producing complex, a chemicals plant producing fertilizer, a cement plant, a sugar refinery, and quarries producing granite and marble. The old Asw─n Dam (completed in 1902) rises about 3 miles (5 km) south of the city; the Asw─n High Dam (completed in 1970) is about 7 miles (11 km) south of the city. The Higher Industrial Institute is located in Asw─n. A school for fisheries training opened in 1980. On Elephantine a museum contains antiquities from the governorate. There are many hotels in the city, which is the southern terminus of the Cairo–Asw─n railway. There is also an international airport. Pop. (1986 est.) 195,700. |