Aswan  (Arabic: أسوان‎ Aswān, Ancient Egyptian: Swenet, formerly spelled Assuan) is a city in the south of Egypt, the capital of the Aswan Governorate.
Aswan is the ancient city of Swenet, which in antiquity was the frontier town of Ancient Egypt to the south. Swenet is supposed to have derived its name from an Egyptian goddess with the same name. This goddess later was identified as Eileithyia by the Greeks and Lucina by the Romans during their occupation of Ancient Egypt because of the similar association of their goddesses with childbirth, and of which the import is "the opener". The ancient name of the city also is said to be derived from the Egyptian symbol for trade.