Djelfa (Arabic: الجلفة, romanized: al-Ǧilfah) is the capital city of Djelfa Province, Algeria and the site of ancient city and former bishopric Fallaba, which remains a Latin catholic titular see.
It has a population of 490,248 (2018 census). The city lies at the junction of the N1 and the N46 roads.
The area is notable for its abundance of Neolithicrock carvings dating from 7000 to 5000 BC. North of Djelfa town there is an imposing physical feature known as Rocher de Sel (English: Salt Rock) that resulted from the erosion of rock salts and marls by rain.[1] To the west of the town Megalithic funerary structures are found.
During Philippe Pétain's period, a concentration camp was placed in Djelfa.[3]
Geography
Djelfa is located at an elevation of 3,734 feet (1,138 m) in the Ouled Naïl Range of north-central Algeria, between the towns of Bousaada and Laghouat. It is situated in a transitional zone between the dry, steppe-like Hautes Plaines (high plateaus) of the north, characterized by chotts (intermittent salt lakes), and the Sahara to the south. The town was founded in 1852 as a French military post on a geometric plan. It serves as an important livestock market centre for the semi-nomadicOuled Naïl confederation. Djelfa is on the 12,000 mile-long Africa Trail.[citation needed]
The surrounding region for centuries has been the meeting place of the Ouled Naïl people, who live in black-and-red striped tents and claim descent from the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.
It is possible that Christianity came to the town only after the rule of Constantine the Great, as there is no record of the bishopric under the Romans.
The only known bishop of this African diocese is the Catholic bishop Salo mentioned in 484. This is considerably late compared to many of the other diocese in Numidia. Bishop Salo took part in the synod assembled in Carthage in 484 by the Arian ruler, Huneric of the Vandal Kingdom; after the Synod Salo was exiled (probably) to Vandal-controlled Sicily.
^Scheffel, Richard L.; Wernet, Susan J., eds. (1980). Natural Wonders of the World. United States of America: Reader's Digest Association, Inc. p. 321. ISBN0-89577-087-3.