Helwan
| Helwan | |
|---|---|
 Helwan
|
|
| Coordinates: 29°51′N 31°20′E / 29.85°N 31.333°E | |
| Country |  Egypt |
| Governorate | Cairo |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 643,327 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC+2) |
Helwan (Arabic: حلوان Ḥilwān), also spelled Hilwan or Hulwan or Holwan, is a city in Egypt on the bank of the Nile river, opposite the ruins of Memphis. Originally a southern suburb of Cairo, it served as the capital of the now defunct Helwan Governorate from April 2008 to April 2011, after which it was re-incorporated into the Cairo Governorate. The kism of Helwan had a population of 643,327 at the 2006 population census.[1]
Contents |
[edit] History
The Khedivial Astronomical Observatory was built here 1903-1904, and was used to observe Halley's comet. Egypt's oldest and largest private psychiatric clinic, the Behman Hospital, was also constructed here in 1939.
During the early part of the 20th century, the city was the site of RAF Helwan, a major British airbase, which was later used by the Egyptian Air Force.
In April 2008, the Helwan Governorate was split from the Cairo Governorate. It encompassed most of the suburbs, new compounds and villages located in the southern part of Cairo. The city of Helwan became the capital of the new governorate. Following the dissolution of the Helwan Governorate in April 2011, the city of Helwan was reincorporated into the Cairo Governorate.
[edit] Economy
Local industry includes iron, steel, textiles and cement. The area has hot sulphur springs, an astronomical observatory, the Helwan University and a burial chamber (discovered in 1946). It is the terminus of Cairo's light rail Metro Line 1.
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Helwan | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 18 (64) |
20 (68) |
23 (73) |
28 (82) |
32 (89) |
34 (93) |
35 (95) |
34 (93) |
32 (89) |
29 (84) |
25 (77) |
20 (68) |
27.4 (81.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 8 (46) |
8 (46) |
11 (51) |
14 (57) |
17 (62) |
19 (66) |
21 (69) |
21 (69) |
19 (66) |
18 (64) |
14 (57) |
10 (50) |
14.8 (58.6) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 5 (0.2) |
3 (0.1) |
3 (0.1) |
3 (0.1) |
3 (0.1) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
3 (0.1) |
5 (0.2) |
23 (0.9) |
| Source: Weatherbase [2] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Districts
The now defunct Helwan Governorate encompassed the following districts: Maadi, Helwan, 15th of May, EL-Sherouk city, El-Obour city, Badr city, New Cairo districts such as Madinaty, El-Rehab city, the Fifth compound district (El-Tagammu' El-Khames).
The city of Helwan itself includes districts such as Wadi Hof, Hadayek Helwan, and Maasara.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, Population and Housing Census 2006, Population distribution by sex, gov: Cairo Retrieved on 2008-04-01.
- ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Helwan, Egypt". Weatherbase. 2011. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=623780&refer=wikipedia. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
[edit] External links
- (German) Helwan on Wikivoyage
Coordinates: 29°51′N 31°20′E / 29.85°N 31.333°E
 |
This Egypt location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This article about Egyptology or subjects relating to Ancient Egypt is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
