Sétif

Sétif (, formerly Sitifis Colonia) is a town in northeastern Algeria. It is the capital of Sétif Province and it has a population of 239,195 inhabitants as of the 1998 census. Setif is located to the east of Algiers and is the second most important Wilaya after the country's capital. It is 1,096 meters above sea level, making it the second highest capital of a Wilaya in Algeria. The streets are tree-lined with a fountain and theater, giving the town a French feel.

Sétif is one of the coldest regions in Algeria. Sétif is connected by rail as well as the main national highway. It is a university town located approximately 190 miles east of Algiers on the highway to Constantine.

History

Sétif was at first Numidian: it was a part of the kingdom of Massaesyles and in the year 225 BC, it was the capital of the kingdom, a title which it lost when Juba switched it to Cherchell.

It is near Sétif that Jugurtha campaigned and lost against Marius in 105 BC. Overcome by Marius, he was taken to Rome where was executed in the prison of Tullianum.

Sitifis was founded by the Romans, during the reign of Nerva, as a colony for veterans. The ruins of this are still visible.Setif & Djemila, Morocco, Algeria & Tunisia, Geoff Crowther & Hugh Findlay, editors, Lonely Planet, April 1992, 2nd Edition, p. 296. A Roman mausoleum may be found in the outskirts of the city as well as Byzantine ruins.

As the town grew, around 297 AD,...
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