Mahdist War - Sudan Campaign - Aswan - Seashore, small boats, hills in background. Part of Box 244 Boswell Collection - Sudan War. 'Aswan, formerly spelled Assuan, is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dams on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract. The modern city has expanded and includes the formerly separate community on the island of Elephantine.' Aswan