Sétif

It is an inner city, situated in the eastern side of Algeria, 270 kilometers (170 mi) east of Algiers, 131 km (81 mi) west of Constantine, in the Hautes Plaines region south of Béjaia and Jijel. The city is at an altitude of 1,100 meters (3,600 ft).

The city was part of the Phoenician Empire then it became part of the ancient Berber kingdom of Numidia, the capital of Mauretania Sitifensis under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was destroyed during the Arab invasion of North Africa. In 1839 when France occupied the site, they found it in ruins apart from Roman ruins of the Byzantine fortress of Setif, and the ruined civilian housing from Roman and Byzantine periods. Reconstruction of a civilian part of the city began with the construction of a Catholic Church of Setif which is the first building established by the colonial French.

The city was the starting point of the 8 May 1945 protests and massacre, which was a crucial factor to the start of the Algerian War.