Aswān

Aswan,formerly spelledAssuan,is a city in the south ofEgypt, the capital of theAswan Governorate. Itis a busy market and tourist centre located just north of theAswan Damson the east bank of theNileat thefirst cataract. The modern city has expanded and includes the formerly separate community on the island ofElephantine.

Aswan is the smallest of the three major tourist cities on the Nile. Being the furthest south of the three, it has a large population of Nubian people, mostly resettled from their homeland in the area flooded by Lake Nasser. Aswan is the home of many granite quarries from which most of the Obelisks seen inLuxorwere sourced. Aswan was the ancient Egyptians' gateway toAfrica.