From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Aswan (population 200,000) is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the governorate of the same name. It stands on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract and is a busy market and tourist center.
Aswan is one of the driest inhabited places in the world; as of early 2001, the last rain here was 6 years ago. In Nubian settlements they generally do not bother to roof all of the rooms in their houses.
See also: Aswan Dam, Elephantine, Kitchener's Island, Nag Hammadi
The Nile at Aswan, seen from Elephantine Island
