Aswan
Aswan
أسوان | |
|---|---|
Aswan Location within Egypt | |
| Coordinates: 24°05′20″N 32°53′59″E / 24.08889°N 32.89972°E | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Governorate | Aswan |
| Settled | 600 BC |
| Area | |
• Total | 375.39 km2 (144.94 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 99 m (325 ft) |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 401,890 |
| • Density | 1,070.6/km2 (2,772.8/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Area code | (+20) 97 |
| Official name | Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to Philae |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, iii, vi |
| Designated | 1979 (3rd session) |
| Reference no. | 89 |
| Region | Egyptian Governorates, Northern Africa, African Union |
Aswan (/æsˈwɑːn, ɑːs-/, also US: /ˈæswɑːn, ˈɑːs-, ˈæz-/; Egyptian Arabic: أسوان, romanized: ʾAswān [ʔɑsˈwɑːn]) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. The city is among the oldest continuously inhabited cities, with its recorded history spanning over 2,600 years.
Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract. The city was the southern frontier of Ancient Egypt. Aswan's local quarries supplied granite to many ancient Egyptian monuments, and these quarries are still operating today. The modern city has expanded and includes the formerly separate community on the island of Elephantine. Aswan is considered a global tourist winter destination.
Aswan includes five monuments within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Nubian Monuments from Abu Simbel to 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 before the Aswan Dam flooded 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.