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Sétif ( ar, سطيف, ber, Sṭif) is the capital of the
Sétif Province Sétif Province ( ar, ولاية سطيف, kab, Agezdu n Sṭif) is a province (''wilaya'') in north-eastern Algeria. Its capital and largest city is Sétif; the next largest city is El Eulma. There is also the World Heritage Site of Djémila th ...
in Algeria. It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is considered the trade capital of the country. It is an inner city, situated in the eastern side of Algeria, at 270 kilometers east of
Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
, at 131 km west of
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...
, in the Hautes Plaines region south of Béjaia and
Jijel Jijel ( ar, جيجل), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administra ...
. The city is at 1,100 meters of altitude. The city was part of Phoenician Empire then it became part of the ancient
Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
kingdom of
Numidia Numidia ( Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunis ...
, the capital of Mauretania Sitifensis under the rule of the Roman Empire. It became a city of the Islamic World after becoming Muslim during the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb. It is considered as the starting point of the 8 May 1945 protests and massacre, which was a crucial factor to the start of the
Algerian War The Algerian War, also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence,( ar, الثورة الجزائرية '; '' ber, Tagrawla Tadzayrit''; french: Guerre d'Algérie or ') and sometimes in Algeria as the War of 1 November ...
.


Toponymy

Sétif was numid before undergoing Roman rule. The name of Sétif is not drawn from Latin, but it is a Berber word "Zdif" or Canaanite word "Sadif", i, which means "black lands" according Lissan El Arab, referring to the fertility of its lands. Occupying a strategic position (western gateway to the highlands of
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...
) and a major water point thanks to its water table, located at the foot of the mountains on the threshold of a vast plain, Sétif, with all its advantages, was a point of strategic crossing between the eastern part and the western part of Algeria. Sétif was part of the messasylian kingdom, and in the year 225 BC, it was the capital of a Berber kingdom, a title it lost when Juba preferred Cherchel. It was near Sétif that Jugurtha fought a great battle at Caius Marius.


Geography

Sétif is the capital of
Sétif Province Sétif Province ( ar, ولاية سطيف, kab, Agezdu n Sṭif) is a province (''wilaya'') in north-eastern Algeria. Its capital and largest city is Sétif; the next largest city is El Eulma. There is also the World Heritage Site of Djémila th ...
, and it has a population of 288,461 inhabitants as of the 2008 census. It is located 270 kilometers east of
Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...
, 65 km from Bordj Bou Arreridj and 132 km from
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...
in the Hautes Plaines region south of Béjaia and Jijel, the city is located above sea level, making it the second highest capital of a province in Algeria.


History


Numidia

The city lay in the region of the
Numidia Numidia ( Berber: ''Inumiden''; 202–40 BC) was the ancient kingdom of the Numidians located in northwest Africa, initially comprising the territory that now makes up modern-day Algeria, but later expanding across what is today known as Tunis ...
n kingdom of Massaesyles. It was 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. No remains of this period have been found. The city was small under the Numidian kings.


Roman Era

Setifis Sétifis (Arabic: سطيف; Berber: Sṭif), was a Romano town located in northeastern Algeria. It was the capital of the Roman province called ''Mauretania Sitifensis'', and it is today Setif in the Sétif Province (Algeria). History Sitifis w ...
(or Sitifis) was founded by the Romans, during the reign of
Nerva Nerva (; originally Marcus Cocceius Nerva; 8 November 30 – 27 January 98) was Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dy ...
(AD 96 to 98), as a colony for veterans. Although no buildings of this period are known, a cemetery excavated in the 1960s seems to have contained tombs from the early colony. The Romans built a circus at Sitifis, which aerial photographs show survived substantially intact until the 20th century; today only a small part of the curved end continues visible; the remainder has been destroyed or built over. As the town grew, around 297 AD, the province of Mauretania Sitifensis was established, with Sitifis as its capital. When Mauretania Sitifensis was created, at the close of the 3rd century, Sitifis became its capital. In the newly prosperous town a bath building was built, decorated with fine mosaics: its restoration in the fifth century had a cold room (''frigidarium'') paved with a large mosaic showing the birth of Venus. On the northwest edge of the town two great Christian basilicas were built at the end of the fourth century, decorated, again, with splendid mosaics, and a Bishopric was founded at this time. There was a Jewish community in the area. In the 5th century it suffered from a violent earthquake. Although we do not know what happened under Vandal rule, the Byzantine conquest brought with it a major fort, of which parts are still standing. Under the Vandals it was the chief town of a district called Zaba. It was still the capital of a province under Byzantine rule and was then a place of strategic importance. The area came under Byzantine control for a short period which saw the introduction of
Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...
doctrines to the mainly Donatist and Catholic town.


Byzantine Era

In 531, the king of the Vandals, Hilderic, was overthrown by the usurper Gelimer, giving the Roman emperor of the East Justinian, anxious to restore the Roman Empire, a pretext for intervention. After his departure from
Byzantium Byzantium () or Byzantion ( grc, Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name ''Byzantion'' and its Latinization ''Byzantium'' cont ...
(Constantinople / Istanbul), General Belisarius took advantage of uprisings in
Tripolitania Tripolitania ( ar, طرابلس '; ber, Ṭrables, script=Latn; from Vulgar Latin: , from la, Regio Tripolitana, from grc-gre, Τριπολιτάνια), historically known as the Tripoli region, is a historic region and former province o ...
and the Moors, which enabled him to take Carthage (533) and then Gelimer himself (534). The Byzantines found in
Sitifis Sétifis (Arabic: سطيف; Berber: Sṭif), was a Romano town located in northeastern Algeria. It was the capital of the Roman province called ''Mauretania Sitifensis'', and it is today Setif in the Sétif Province (Algeria). History Sitifis wa ...
, a small population, because of the vandal predations. In 539, Sitifis again became the capital of a Byzantine "Roman" province: Mauritania Sitifensis. At that time, Solomon built the Byzantine fortress walls, whose west and south walls are still visible.


Bishopric

The city was the base of a Bishopric. Augustine, who had frequent relations with Sitifis, tells us that in his day the Bishopric had a monastery and an episcopal school. Several Christian inscriptions have been found there, one of 452 mentioning the relics of
Saint Lawrence Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. "Laurel wreath, laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the Persecution of Christians, perse ...
, another naming two martyrs of Sitifis, Justus and Decurius. ;Known Bishops *Servus, mentioned in a letter of St. Augustine in 409 *Novatus present at the Council of Carthage (484), and exiled by Huneric *Optatus, at the Council of Carthage (525). *Alexis Lemaître, M. Afr. (24 Feb 1911 Appointed – 28 July 1920 * Joanny Thévenoud, M. Afr. (8 Jul 1921 Appointed – 16 September 1949) * André-Maurice Parenty (9 Mar 1950 Appointed – 23 November 1983) *
Armando Xavier Ochoa Armando Xavier Ochoa, D.D., (born April 9, 1943) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Fresno in California (2011 to 2019), bishop of the Diocese of El Paso in Texas (1996 to 2011) and auxil ...
(23 Dec 1986 Appointed – 1 April 1996) * Manuel Felipe Díaz Sánchez (27 Feb 1997 Appointed – 4 April 2000) * John Choi Young-su (22 Dec 2000 Appointed – 3 February 2006) *
Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo Broderick Soncuaco Pabillo (; born March 11, 1955) is a Filipino prelate who has been the Vicar Apostolic of Taytay in Palawan since 2021. He was appointed by Pope Francis to that post on June 29, 2021, and was installed on August 19 by Socr ...
(24 May 2006 Appointed – )


Islamic Era

In 647 AD (the year 27 of the Hijrah), the first
Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
expedition to Africa took place. By 700 AD, the area had been conquered and converted to the Islamic faith. We know little of the early Islamic town, but by the tenth century the area outside of the fortress was once more filled with houses: on the site of the Roman baths over twelve of these were excavated, with large courtyards surrounded by long, thin, rooms. In 903, following the death of the Aghlabid emir Ibrahim II of Ifriqiya, Sétif briefly served as the headquarters of his son Muhammad. Muhammad intended to lead a military campaign against the Isma'ili leader
Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i Al-Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Zakariyya, better known as Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i ( ar, ابو عبد الله الشيعي, Abū ʿAbd Allāh ash-Shi'ī), was an Isma'ili missionary ('' dāʿī'') active in Yemen and North Africa, mainly amon ...
, who had gained a following among the Kutama Berbers, but he aborted it before any battles were fought because his brother
Abdallah Abd Allah ( ar, عبدالله, translit=ʻAbd Allāh), also spelled Abdallah, Abdellah, Abdollah, Abdullah and many others, is an Arabic name meaning "Servant of God". It is built from the Arabic words '' abd'' () and '' Allāh'' (). Although the ...
had been murdered. Intending to seize the throne, Muhammad left Sétif for the capital of Tunis, but he was arrested in
Baghaya Baghai is a town and commune in Khenchela Province, Algeria. It is located at 35°30'59.99" N 7°06'60.00" E. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 6,414. Geography Baghai is located between the Aurès mountains in the south and ...
and then executed by the new emir,
Ziyadat Allah III Abu Mudhar Ziyadat Allah III ( ar, أبو مضر زيادة الله الثالث) (died 911–916) was the eleventh and last Emir of the Aghlabids in Ifriqiya (903–909). He came to power after the murder of his father Abdallah II on 27 Jul ...
, alongside all of Ziyadat Allah's brothers and uncles, in August 903. This internal power struggle enabled Abu Abdallah al-Shi'i to go on the offensive and capture Sétif from the Aghlabids. He had already tried to besiege the strongly fortified city twice, but to no avail. However, in probably October or November of 904, after the city's Arab ruler died, a Berber from the Lahisa tribe surrendered the city to Abu Abdallah, who then demolished part of the fortifications to prevent them from being used against him and his Kutama allies. Then, possibly encouraged by Abu Abdallah's military success, the Isma'ili imam
Abdallah al-Mahdi Billah Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allāh/ʿUbayd Allāh ibn al-Ḥusayn (), 873 – 4 March 934, better known by his regnal name al-Mahdi Billah, was the founder of the Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate, the only major Shi'a caliphate in Islamic history, and the e ...
(who would later found the
Fatimid Caliphate The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ilism, Ismaili Shia Islam, Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the ea ...
) left Egypt to go to the Maghreb. After conquering Cairo, the
Fatimids The Fatimid Caliphate was an Isma'ilism, Ismaili Shia Islam, Shi'a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries AD. Spanning a large area of North Africa, it ranged from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Red Sea in the ea ...
abandoned Tunisia and parts of eastern Algeria to the local Zirids (972–1148). The invasion of
Ifriqiya Ifriqiya ( '), also known as al-Maghrib al-Adna ( ar, المغرب الأدنى), was a medieval historical region comprising today's Tunisia and eastern Algeria, and Tripolitania (today's western Libya). It included all of what had previously ...
by the Banu Hilal, a warlike Arab tribes encouraged by the Fatimids of Egypt to seize North Africa.


Colonization

In the mid-eleventh century this development stopped abruptly, and a defensive wall was built around the city. Nothing more is known of Sétif until the ruins of the town were used by the French army, who built their own fortress on the site in 1848, using the line of the medieval city wall and the Byzantine fortress. On 8 May 1945, the day of the formal end of World War II in Europe, an
uprising Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
against the occupying French forces in Sétif and the nearby towns
Guelma Guelma ( ar, قالمة ''Qālima''; arq, ڨالمة; Algerian pronunciation: ) is the capital of Guelma Province and Guelma District, located in north-eastern Algeria, about 65 kilometers from the Mediterranean coast. Its location correspon ...
and
Kherrata Kherrata is a town in northern Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , ...
resulted in the deaths of 104''Setif & Djemila'', '' Morocco, Algeria & Tunisia'',
Geoff Crowther Geoff Crowther (15 March 1944 – 13 April 2021) was a British travel writer who wrote for BIT and Lonely Planet. Life Early life Crowther was born on 15 March 1944 in Halifax, West Yorkshire. His parents worked in a cotton mill. He attended ...
& Hugh Findlay, editors, Lonely Planet, April 1992, 2nd Edition, p. 296.
pieds-noir The ''Pieds-Noirs'' (; ; ''Pied-Noir''), are the people of French and other European descent who were born in Algeria during the period of French rule from 1830 to 1962; the vast majority of whom departed for mainland France as soon as Alger ...
s. The uprising was suppressed through what is now known as the Sétif massacre. Estimates of Algerian casualties vary widely from 2,000 to 40,000 (see Sétif and Guelma massacre).


Economy

The local economy deals both with trade and industries. The trade is mainly in grain and livestock from the surrounding region. Locally produced wheat is processed by local factories to produce semolina, couscous and noodles. Other industries are woodworking, manufacture of carpets and metal handicrafts. Zinc is extracted from nearby deposits and there are hydroelectric development to the north. It has become the commercial center of a region where textiles are made, phosphates are mined and cereals grown.


Climate

Sétif has a semi-arid climate ( Köppen climate classification ''BSk''). Its summers are hot and dry, while its winters are cool with low-moderate rainfall. Due to Sétif's location on the High Plateaus at an elevation of , it is one of the coldest regions during winter in Algeria. The Wilayah frequently sees an annual snowfall of up to . Flash floods are rare but have recently occurred around the spring and fall seasons. The summer is fairly hot where extreme heat waves are common around the month of July where temperatures can sometimes even reach .


Football team

The ES Sétif Football Team is one of Algeria's most prestigious top division clubs.


Notable people

* Mabrook Dreidi, writer and academic * Faris Khenniche, footballer *
Ali D ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 common era, CE) was the last of four Rashidun, Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was ...
, rapper and actor


See also

* Sitifis Roman circus *
Ain El Fouara Fountain Ain El Fouara Fountain ( ar, نافورة عين الفوارة, lit=fountain spring gushing) is an emblematic and famous monument of Setif in Algeria. This fountain consists of a statue made in 1898 by the French sculptor Francis de Saint-Vidal ...
* List of cities in Algeria


References


Further reading

* Boucif Mekhaled, ''Chronique d'un massacre : 8 mai 1945, Sétif-Guelma-Kherrata'', éd. Syros, Paris, 1995 * Jean Louis Planche, ''Sétif 1945. Histoire d'un massacre annoncé'', éd. Perrin, 2006 *
Roger Vétillard Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
, ''Sétif. Mai 1945. Massacres en Algérie'', éd. de Paris, 2008 *
Eugène Vallet Eugene is a common male given name that comes from the Greek εὐγενής (''eugenēs''), "noble", literally "well-born", from εὖ (''eu''), "well" and γένος (''genos''), "race, stock, kin".Denise Morel, ''Sétif de ma jeunesse'', éd. Gandini, 2001


External links

*
HerodoteFemme Sétifienne المرأة السطيفية
Femme Sétifienne Staifia {{DEFAULTSORT:Setif Communes of Sétif Province Coloniae (Roman) Cities in Algeria Province seats of Algeria