Located on the east bank of the Nile River just below the First Cataract, Aswān (also spelled Assuan or Assouan) is the capital of Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate) in Egypt. It was the southernmost boundary of pharaonic Egypt and the site of the ancient city of Swen, which was also known as “the Mart” in ancient Egyptian and is the origin of the city’s name. Aswān served as a Roman, Turkish, and British frontier garrison post. The local quarries are still active and supplied granite for many ancient Egyptian monuments.

Nowadays, Aswān is an administrative, industrial, and commercial center that receives trade from Sudan. It is also a popular winter resort with many hotels and an international airport. Industries in the city include a copper- and steel-producing complex, a chemicals plant, a cement plant, a sugar refinery, and quarries producing granite and marble. The city is also home to the Higher Industrial Institute and a school for fisheries training. The old Aswān Dam and the Aswan High Dam, which is about 7 miles (11 km) south of the city, are important structures in the city’s landscape. A museum on the island of Elephantine contains antiquities from the governorate. In 2006, the population of Aswān was 266,013.