Aswān

Aswān (ancient Syene), city in southern Egypt, capital of Aswān Governorate, on the Nile River, near Lake Nasser. Under the pharaohs, Syene was an important city near quarries that furnished the granite for many Egyptian temples. The period of greatest prosperity, however, was under the Romans. Modern Aswān contains many ancient architectural remains. The city's industries use hydroelectricity produced at the nearby Aswān High Dam. The Higher Industrial Institute (1962) is in Aswān. Population (1996) 219,017.