Aswan
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.
The Nile at Aswan, seen from Elephantine Island
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