City (pop., 1996 est.: 219,017), southeastern Egypt.
It lies on the Nile River just north of Lake Nasser . In ancient times it was the southern frontier of pharaonic Egypt. Later known as Syene, it served as a frontier garrison post for the Romans, Ottomans, and British. Modern Aswān is located near the old Aswān Dam (completed 1902) and the Aswān High Dam .