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   Egypt / Cities and Towns /
Helwan
Arabic:
hulwān
Suburb of larger Cairo, Egypt, with 400,000 inhabitants (2005 estimate), 25 km south of the centre of Cairo, near the eastern bank of the Nile.
Helwan is largely an industrial town, producing cement, automobiles, military equipment, iron, steel, textiles, wooden furniture and processed food.
The area has hot sulphur springs, purporting to treat rheumatism, skin and liver diseases. Helwan rests on a mound, which before the construction of the Aswan Dams made it safe from annual floodings of the Nile.
Helwan University was founded in 1975, and there is an astronomical observatory founded in 1904.
History
Middle 19th century: Helwan's sulfurous springs are uncovered, and gradually the place is developed into a spa.
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