Helwan


Helwan

(hĕlwän`),

Hilwan

(hĭlwän`), or

Hulwan

(ho͝olwän`), town (1989 est. pop. 230,000), N Egypt, on the Nile River, opposite the ruins of MemphisMemphis
, ancient city of Egypt, capital of the Old Kingdom (c.3100–c.2258 B.C.), at the apex of the Nile delta and 12 mi (18 km) from Cairo. It was reputedly founded by Menes, the first king of united Egypt. Its god was Ptah.
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; 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.

Helwan

 

a city in Egypt, on the lower course of the Nile; a suburb of Cairo. Population, 203,500 (1966).

Helwan has a fertilizer plant, and nearby is a metallurgical plant, the first stage of which was built with aid from the USSR. Railroad cars, cement, and silk fabrics are also produced. The Helwan necropolis is located 5 km from the city.

Helwan is a climatic and balneological health resort. The climate is dry (annual precipitation, approximately 40 mm), and summers are hot (average July temperature, 35.5°C). Winter is the mildest season, with temperatures averaging 16.6°C in December, 14.8°C in January, and 16.5°C in February.

Treatment includes therapeutic bathing using the beneficial effects of solar radiation, air, and sand. There are thermal mineral springs (25°–33°C), whose hydrogen sulphide chloride-sulfate-sodium waters are used for bathing, drinking, and inhalation. Patients are treated for disorders of the urinary tract, kidneys, parietal musculature, skin, nervous system, and metabolic system. Facilities include sanatoriums, a balneological treatment center, hotels, and tourist hostels.