Richard AmmonRandom images from around Aswan City and on the Nile River
Aswan is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate (pop.1.2 million)
and the 3rd largest city in Egypt.
It stands on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract and is a busy market and tourist center.
Aswan is one of the driest inhabited places in the world;
In Nubian settlements, they generally do not bother to roof all of the rooms in their houses.
The stone quarries of ancient Egypt located here were celebrated for the granitic rock called Syenite that furnished the colossal statues, obelisks, and monolithal shrines that are found throughout Egypt, including the pyramids.
Two dams straddle the river at this point: the newer Aswan High Dam and the older Aswan Low Dam.
They prevent the river’s flooding, generate electricity and provide water for agriculture.
