Helwan [key], town (1989 est. pop. 230,000), N Egypt, on the Nile River, opposite the ruins of Memphis; a suburb of Cairo. Manufactures include iron and steel, cement, and textiles; there is a food-processing and automobile industry. Helwan has a metallurgical research center and an astronomical observatory. The town, the site of ancient settlements, is also a health resort, long known for its hot sulfur springs. An ancient burial chamber, one of the largest in the world, was discovered at Helwan in 1946.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Egyptian Political Geography
