Aswan

Aswan

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(Arabic: ?????? ????? Aswān )

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({{coor dm|24|05|N|32|56|E|}}, 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.

Related Topics:
Egypt - Governorate - Nile - First cataract

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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.

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This is identified with the ancient city of Syene, which is famous for providing a basis on which Eratosthenes disputed the Flat Earth theory and attempted to determine the circumference of the Earth, using Syene as the originating point and Alexandria as the terminal point of a measured arc to make an accurate estimate of the circumference of the Earth.

Related Topics:
Eratosthenes - Flat Earth - Alexandria

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See also: Aswan Dam, Elephantine, Kitchener's Island, Nag Hammadi

Related Topics:
Aswan Dam - Elephantine - Kitchener's Island - Nag Hammadi

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