Sétif has existed since Roman times and is located at an elevation of 1,100m. After the French occupied the town in 1838 it was rebuilt and transformed into a military garrison. One of the earliest explosions of modern nationalist violence occurred in the town when 84 Europeans were massacred in 1945, followed by a vicious retaliation by the French army which took the lives of over 45,000 Algerians.

The main attraction of Setif is the Amusement park right in the centre of town. One block away from the main street the park fills up half of the centre of Setif, and a lot of the local's attention and activities are connected to it. The whole construction is quite well-kept, and offers many kinds of amusements for the children, an artificial lake, fountains and a small zoo. Right west of the park lie the ruins of a Byzantine fortress, and to the east an acceptable archeological museum.