Sétif, town, northeastern Algeria, near the Wadi Bou Sellam. As ancient Sitifis, it became important when the Roman emperor Nerva established a veterans’ colony there in 97 ce. Sitifis became the chief town of the province of Mauretania Sitifensis (created 297 ce) and remained so under Byzantine rule. The town declined until garrisoned by the French in 1838. In 1945 the Sétif town area was the site of a spontaneous outburst against French colonial rule, and more than 100 Europeans were killed. In retaliation, by Algerian count after the fact, between 6,000 and 8,000 Muslims were massacred. The area around Sétif was developed as a centre of cereal cultivation during the French colonial period, and wheat is processed in local factories to produce semolina, couscous (cracked wheat), and noodles.
Sétif, laid out in a grid pattern of wide streets by the French, is one of Algeria’s highest communities (elevation 3,596 feet [1,096 metres]). The University of Sétif was founded in 1978. Remains of the great Byzantine fortress are to the north. In 1959 a Roman necropolis was discovered near the town centre. Pop. (1998) 211,859; (2008) 252,127.