Aswan (Egypt)

Aswan is a Nile River cruise port and a large city in southern Egypt, with a population of around 290,000. Aswan is the ancient city Swenett, which was a frontier town of Ancient Egypt. The city was named after Swenett - the Egyptian goddess of poetry. Nile River is ~650 m (2130 ft) wide here. From the frontier town to Egypt's northern extremity, the river flows freely for over 1200 km (750 mi) without any cataracts or sand bars. The voyage to Alexandria usually took 21-28 days in good weather.

Aswan has a hot desert climate like the rest of Egypt. Luxor and Aswan have Egypt's hottest summer days. Aswan is also among the world's driest, hottest and sunniest cities. Average temperatures are consistently above 40 C (104 F) during summer (June through September). Winters are short and extremely warm.

South Valley University (opened 1999) has 3 branches - Qena, Hurghada, and Aswan. The university grew steadily and is now among the largest education institutions in Upper Egypt. The city is served by Aswan International Airport, in addition to the regularly scheduled trains and buses. Among the best-known attractions are Nubia Museum, Archangel Michael's Orthodox Church, El-Tabia Mosque, Lotus-Tower.