Helwan

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Helwan (hĕlwän´), Hilwan (hĬlwän´), or Hulwan (hŏŏlwän´), town (1989 est. pop. 230,000), N Egypt, on the Nile River, opposite the ruins of Memphis; 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.