Helwan

Helwan is a southern district of Greater Cairo with roots going back to the pharaonic era, when the local sulphur springs were known as "Ain Aan." Governor ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Marwān is said to have resettled here after floods forced an evacuation of Fustat in 690 CE. The springs were rediscovered and prized for their medicinal properties under Abbas I in the mid-19th century, and the present bathhouses date from 1892; Helwan flourished as a spa town into the 20th century and became a favored retreat for Egyptian nobility, including King Farouk I, whose former summer palace stands here. After the 1952 revolution, Helwan was developed into a major industrial centre, home to Egypt's iron and steel works, and in 1975 became the seat of Helwan University (main campus in Ain Helwan).

The Ain Helwan hot sulphur springs and their historic 1892 bathhouse complex, and King Farouk's former summer palace.

Cairo (25 km north), 15th of May City (10 km south).