Aswan Governorate Aswan Governorate. According to the Egyptian Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), in affiliation with the Ministry of Investment (MOI), there is an industrial zone called El Shalalat located in this governorate: Aswan Governorate Aswan Governorate ( ) is one of the governorates of Egypt. The southernmost governorate in Upper Egypt, its capital is Aswan. The Aswan Governorate borders Qena to the north, Red Sea Governorate to the east, New Valley Governorate to the west, and Sudan's Northern state to the south. It has a population of 1,394,687 inhabitants (2014), and occupies an area of 62,726 km². The
Aswan Low Dam granite. When constructed, the Old Aswan Dam was the largest masonry dam in the world. The design also included a navigation lock of similar construction on the western bank, which allowed shipping to pass upstream as far as the second cataract, whereas a portage overland was previously required. At the time of its construction, nothing of such scale had ever been attempted. Despite initial limitations imposed on its height, due to concern for the Philae Temple, the initial construction was soon found to be inadequate for development needs, and the height of the dam was raised in two phases, between