Helwan
Helwan
حلوان ϩⲁⲗⲃⲁⲛ, ϩⲁⲗⲟⲩⲁⲛ | |
|---|---|
District of Cairo | |
| Hayy Helwan | |
 Farouk's palace | |
  Helwan Location in Egypt | |
| Coordinates: 29°50′43″N 31°20′00″E / 29.84528°N 31.33333°E | |
| Country | Egypt |
| Governorate | Cairo |
| First Settled | Mid 6th Millennium BCE |
| Area | |
• Total | 25 sq mi (65 km2) |
| Population (2017) | |
• Total | 521,239 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
Helwan (Arabic: حلوان Ḥelwān, IPA: [ħelˈwæːn], Coptic: ϩⲁⲗⲟⲩⲁⲛ, romanized: Halwan[1]) is a suburban district in the Southern Area of Cairo, Egypt, directly opposite the ruins of Memphis.[2] Moreover,The area of Helwan witnessed prehistoric, ancient Egyptian, Roman and Muslim era activity,and is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities,with inhabitation beginning in the mid 6th Millennium BCE[3][4].
The area is known for hosting the worlds oldest dam- Sadd El Kafara[5] ,and being the traditional birthplace of Moses[6].More recently it was designated as a city until as late as the 1960s,[7] before it became contiguous with the city of Cairo and was incorporated as a district. For a brief period between April 2008 and April 2011 it was redesignated as a city, and served as the capital of the now defunct Helwan Governorate that was split from Cairo and Giza governorates, before being re-incorporated back into them.[8] The kism of Helwan had a population of 521,239 in the 2017 census.[9]
Etymology
[edit]The origin of Helwan's name isnt definitive,but there are a couple of proposed theorems on where its name comes from.
The most widely accepted theory is that Helwan's name comes from its original name Ain-an,(lit.”Spring of the Fish”),named that due to the Therapeutic spring baths located in the area,which were considered Holy by the Ancient Egyptians.
This name was then attested as Hor-Ain-Anne in 700 BCE before gradually evolving to Hey-wan,Then Halouan, then Helwan,the modern name of the city.[10][11]
According to Ali Mubarak's Tawfiq , the name "Helwan" was said to be named after Halwan ibn Imran . [12]
Yaqut al-Hamawi's Mu'jam al-Buldan and al-Maqrizi's Khitat instead attribute the name to Halwan ibn Amr ibn Imru' al-Qais, a king of Egypt descended from Qahtan, who is said to have commanded part of Abraha's army in the Levant.[13][14]
One more theory is that the city was named by Abd Al Aziz ibn Marwan who named it after Hulwan in Iran due to their similar Climate,instead attributing a Kurdish, Persian or Syriac Aramaic origin to the name.[15]
The area was given many other names,Such as Ma'murah, Goshen and Shahran.[6]
History
[edit]Pre-Historic Era
[edit]Main Page: see Helwan retouch
The Helwan and Isnian cultures of the late Epipalaeolithic (10000BC)[16], and their Ouchata retouch methods for creating microlithic tools may have contributed to the development of the Harifian cultural assemblage of the Sinai,[citation needed] which may have introduced Proto-Semitic languages into the Middle East.
Helwan points (Abu Salem points sub-type)
Map of the Levantine sites with Helwan points
.jpg)
Pre-Dynastic Era
[edit]Initial inhabitation of Helwan began in 5300BC,with the emergence of the El Omari Culture in the Wadi Hof Region,bringing in one of the first instances of Permanent agricultural settlement in the Nile Delta.[17] Its location,safe from the Nile Floods made it one of the earliest settlements in not only Egypt, but Africa as a whole.
Helwan then became Contemporary with the Buto-Maadi Culture found in Maadi,just north of the town, at around 4000BC.[18]
Ancient Egyptian Era
[edit]Around 3300 to 2600 BC, there was a cemetery near Helwan serving the city of Memphis.[19] Some of the earliest evidence of writing stem from the tombs found in Helwan.[20]
The Predynastic King Ni-Neith was buried in Helwan around 3230BCE.[21]
Helwan was Incorporated into the Inebu-Hedj Nome of Ancient Egypt,making it part of the first ever country subdivison.
The Predynastic queen Niethhotep,the earliest attested woman in history, was mentioned on a label in Helwans cemetry.
The Sadd el Kafara Dam was built in Wadi Hof, Helwan in 2600BCE, making it the oldest major dam in History.[5]
Helwan contains the tombs of Khnemetptah,Nysuheqat and Sitba, and also attests Ka ,Narmer and Meriiti.[22][23]
The Cemetery was used the most during the Middle Kingdom.
The district of El Masara in Helwan has been historically identified as Goshen,the land that Moses was born in.If Moses had lived during the 15th century BCE,Helwan would be a likely candidate for the birthplace of Moses.[6] Furthermore,Coptic and later Islamic tradition identify the land as the birthplace of Moses.
Roman Era
[edit]In the Coptic era, Christians and Jews inhabited the area and built monasteries, churches, and synagogues. Foreigners, especially Greeks and Italians, also lived in Helwan, spreading Roman orthodox and Catholic churches in the area.[24][15]
Helwan's springs were mentioned on the Rosetta Stone.[25]
Helwan has been identified with the City of Alphocranon.
Alphocranon was important enough in the Late Roman province of Arcadia Aegypti to be a suffragan of its Metropolitan Archbishop of Oxyrhynchus.
Its bishop, Harpocration, participated in the First Council of Nicaea in 325. The bishopric is mentioned in two Notitiae Episcopatuum.[26][27]No longer a residential diocese, Alphocranon is today listed by the Catholic Church as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric,[28] nominally restoring the diocese since 1933, but no incumbent is recorded.
Islamic Era
[edit]Due to a Plague happening in the Capital Fustat,the city of Helwan was made the temporary replacement of Fustat as the capital of Umayyad Egypt in 689 CE by its governor Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan, who died in the new city.[29]
The area,after a period of Ottoman decline,was revitalised under Abbas Helmy Pasha, when its Theraputic Springs were re-discovered.
Helwan became the capital of Egypt under Tawfiq Pasha,who later died in the city.[15]
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 constructed here in 1939.[30]
During the early part of the 20th century, the city was the site of RAF Helwan, a major British airfield, which was later used by the Egyptian Air Force.[citation needed]
In 1959 Helwan was chosen to serve as a site of a major industrial city, as part of President Gamal Abdel Nasser's attempts to industrialize Egypt. Throughout the 1960s, it developed into a massive steelworks zone, with numerous automobile factories being built. The site continues to use electricity from the Aswan Dam and iron ore from Egypt's western deserts. Helwan was gradually transformed into a mass suburb of Cairo for the working class.[31]
Helwan Governorate
[edit]In April 2008, the Helwan Governorate was split from the Cairo Governorate, encompassing most of the districts outside the ring road, as well as all satellite cities (15th May, New Cairo, Shorouk, Badr, and Huckstep) and the undeveloped desert.[32] Helwan was elevated to city status, incorporating the districts of al-Ma'sara, 'Ain Helwan (qism Helwan), and al-Mustaqbal (prev. 15 May), and became the capital of the new governorate.[33] Maadi was also elevated to city status, incorporating the districts of Maadi, Tora, al-Tibin and al-Nahda.[33] Helwan Governorate later incorporated the rural counties (marakiz, sing. markaz) of Al-Saf and Atfih from the Giza Governorate's former jurisdiction east of the Nile.[34]
Following the dissolution of the Helwan Governorate in April 2011, all cities and districts returned to their previous statuses, and the city of Helwan was reincorporated as a district.[8]
Administrative subdivisions and population
[edit]In the 2017 census, Helwan had 521,239 residents in 8 shiakhas (census blocks):[9]
| Shiakha | Code 2017 | Population |
|---|---|---|
| `Ayn Ḥulwân | 010208 | 34800 |
| Kafr al-`Uluw | 010207 | 73561 |
| Masâkin al-Iqtiṣâdiyya, al- | 010201 | 98831 |
| Ḥulwân al-balad | 010203 | 106302 |
| Ḥulwân al-baḥriyya | 010202 | 13328 |
| Ḥulwân al-gharbiyya | 010205 | 44775 |
| Ḥulwân al-qibliyya | 010206 | 15384 |
| Ḥulwân al-sharqiyya | 010204 | 134258 |
Economy
[edit]
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 southern terminus of Cairo's light rail Metro Line 1. Also trams in Helwan used to serve the people.
Climate
[edit]Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh). Owing to its proximity to Cairo, its average monthly temperatures are quite similar, but it has a quite different distribution of humidity and its diurnal average temperature variation is slightly larger.
| Climate data for Helwan | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 30.4 (86.7) |
33.2 (91.8) |
37.2 (99.0) |
42.4 (108.3) |
46.6 (115.9) |
47.4 (117.3) |
44.1 (111.4) |
43.8 (110.8) |
44.0 (111.2) |
40.2 (104.4) |
35.9 (96.6) |
29.8 (85.6) |
47.4 (117.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.5 (65.3) |
20.4 (68.7) |
23.4 (74.1) |
28.5 (83.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
34.3 (93.7) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.6 (94.3) |
32.6 (90.7) |
29.3 (84.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
19.5 (67.1) |
27.7 (81.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 13.0 (55.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
16.9 (62.4) |
21.4 (70.5) |
24.7 (76.5) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
25.8 (78.4) |
23.3 (73.9) |
18.8 (65.8) |
14.4 (57.9) |
21.3 (70.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) |
8.9 (48.0) |
10.9 (51.6) |
14.3 (57.7) |
17.3 (63.1) |
19.9 (67.8) |
20.9 (69.6) |
21.1 (70.0) |
19.8 (67.6) |
17.6 (63.7) |
13.7 (56.7) |
9.8 (49.6) |
15.2 (59.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −3.4 (25.9) |
2.2 (36.0) |
1.2 (34.2) |
6.6 (43.9) |
10.6 (51.1) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.0 (59.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
10.8 (51.4) |
3.7 (38.7) |
2.8 (37.0) |
−3.4 (25.9) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 5 (0.2) |
3 (0.1) |
2 (0.1) |
1 (0.0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
2 (0.1) |
5 (0.2) |
18 (0.7) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 2.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 62 | 57 | 54 | 43 | 41 | 45 | 52 | 56 | 56 | 55 | 58 | 61 | 53 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 220.8 | 211.7 | 266.3 | 275.8 | 314.6 | 357.5 | 350.2 | 337.8 | 282.7 | 289.6 | 244.1 | 197.1 | 3,348.2 |
| Source: NOAA[35] | |||||||||||||
Notable People
[edit] |
- Harold Knox-Shaw, one of the earliest astronomy specialists in Helwan Observatory.
- John Reynolds, one of the earliest astronomy specialists in Helwan Observatory and president of the English Royal Astronomical Society between 1935 and 1937.
- Tewfik Pasha died in his palace at Helwan.
- Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam Pasha lived in Helwan.
- Moataz Eno was born in Helwan.
- Ibrahim Hassan and Hossam Hassan were both born in Helwan
- Helwan is the traditional birthplace of Moses
In popular culture
[edit]Algernon Blackwood's novella Sand is set largely in Helwan.
A crater on the 951 Gaspra asteroid was named after the spa city of Helwan.
The 82-BM-37 is known as "Helwan M-69 82mm mortar".
The 6th Armoured Division (South Africa) was present at Helwan during WW II.
Operation Priha: Helwan was targeted in Priha-1.
The English Middle East Command Camouflage Directorate was present in Helwan.Geoffrey Barkas designed the Operation Bertram while heading Middle East Command Camouflage Directorate.
See also
[edit]- List of ancient Egyptian sites, including sites of temples
- 15th of May
- Greater Cairo
- Helwan retouch
- Helwan University
- El Tebbin
- Maadi
References
[edit]- ↑ Emile, Amélineau (1893). La géographie de l'Egypte à l'époque copte. Paris: Imprimerie nationale. p. 584.
- ↑ "Southern Area". www.cairo.gov.eg. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ↑ Al-Youm, Al-Masry (31 March 2015). "Cairo subway stations: What do their names mean?". Egypt Independent. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ "حضارة حلوان العمرى فى مصر القديمة". سيفجردز (in Arabic). Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- 1 2 "Sadd Al-Kafara dam". hydriaproject.info. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "قيل إنها مهد سيدنا موسى .. ماذا تعرف عن المعصرة وتاريخها". صدى البلد (in Arabic). 30 November 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ "Minister of Justice Decree 272/1961". The Official Gazette. 1961. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- 1 2 "Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Decree 63/2011". The Official Gazette. 2011. Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- 1 2 Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) (2017). "2017 Census for Population and Housing Conditions". CEDEJ-CAPMAS. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- ↑ "Conservation of Cairo Historic parks: Towards better quality of life" (PDF).
- ↑ "أصل وفصل حلوان.. في كتاب جديد: كانت مدينة كبيرة وبها أول سد مائي في التاريخ - صوت الأمة". صوت الأمة (in Arabic). 24 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2026.
- ↑ رغوده, يقول رغدة (22 February 2014). "حلوان .. ضاحية القصـــــــور". جريدة مركز طارق والي العمارة والتراث (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ "Helwan's Japanese Garden, 1917". Tumblr. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ إبراهيم, كتب خالد (3 January 2019). "الفارق بين الصورتين 139 عاما.. شاهد حلوان زمان ودلوقتى". اليوم السابع (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Helwan District - Cairo Portal". www.cairo.gov.eg. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ Belfer-Cohen, Anna (28 November 2003). "The Natufian in the Levant". Annual Review of Anthropology. Vol. 20. 20: 167–186. doi:10.1146/annurev.an.20.100191.001123.
- ↑ Debono, Fernand; Mortensen, Bodil (1990). El Omari: a neolithic settlement and other sites in the vicinity of Wadi Hof, Helwan. Archäologische Veröffentlichungen (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut. Abteilung Kairo). P. von Zabern. ISBN 978-3-8053-1119-9.
- ↑ Hartung, Ulrich (2013). "Some remarks on the chronological position of the Predynastic settlement at Maadi (Egypt) and its relations to the Southern Levant" (PDF). Paléorient. 39: 177–191. doi:10.3406/paleo.2013.5494.
- ↑ van den Brink, Edwin C. M.; Köhler, Christiana E.; Smythe, Jane C. (25 March 2022), "Intact wine jars with pre-firing potmarks from the Early Dynastic cemetery at Helwan, Egypt", in Graff, Gwenola; Jiménez Serrano, Alejandro (eds.), Préhistoires de l'écriture, Préhistoires de la Méditerranée, Aix-en-Provence: Presses universitaires de Provence, pp. 63–86, ISBN 979-10-320-0369-5, retrieved 21 February 2023
- ↑ "litw3 - Data bank Early Dynasties". www1.ivv1.uni-muenster.de. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
- ↑ "n2:0344-385X - Search Results". search.worldcat.org. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ Dodson, Aidan (2004). The complete royal families of ancient Egypt. Internet Archive. Cairo : The American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 978-977-424-957-0.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link) - ↑ "Helwan (Heluan)". www.francescoraffaele.com. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
- ↑ "Helwan Governorate". Landious Travel. Retrieved 17 July 2026.
- ↑ Israel, Maged Ezzat. مدينة حلوان عبر التاريخ.
- ↑ Siméon Vailhé, v. Alphocranon, in Dictionnaire d'Histoire et de Géographie ecclésiastiques, vol. XII, Paris 1953, col. 677
- ↑ Klaas A. Worp, A Checklist of Bishops in Byzantine Egypt (A.D. 325 - c. 750), in Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 100 (1994) 283-318
- ↑ Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 829
- ↑ Kennedy, Hugh (1998). "Egypt as a Province in the Islamic Caliphate, 641–868". In Petry, Carl F. (ed.). Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume One: Islamic Egypt, 640–1517. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 71. ISBN 0-521-47137-0.
- ↑ "our history – The Behman hospital". behman.com. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ↑ Beattie, Andrew. (2005) Cairo: A Cultural and Literary History. Signal Books. p. 196. ISBN 9781902669779
- ↑ "Presidential Decree 114/2008". The Official Gazette. 2008.
- 1 2 "Prime Ministerial Decree 2994/2008". The Official Gazette. 2008.
- ↑ "Presidential Decree 124/2008". The Official Gazette. 2008.
- ↑ "Helwan Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (FTP). Retrieved 25 June 2015. (To view documents see Help:FTP)
External links
[edit]
- (in German) Helwan on Wikivoyage
- GCatholic
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| Qalyubia Governorate |
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