Cheffia

Cheffia is a town and commune in El Taref Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 7,450.^[1]

Topographic map of the region around Cheffia

El Cheffia الشافية El Cheffia
Commune and town
Country	Algeria
Province	El Taref Province
Population  (2008)
• Total	8,195
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)

The Cheffia valley was described in 1868 by Reboud^[2] as being comprised between the eastern slope of the Bou Habet and a series of grassy knolls where a few gardens and clumps of azeroliers stand here and there. It is a valley which measures from north to south about fifteen kilometres and five kilometres wide. It is divided into two basins by the cultivated plateau of Sidi-Bou-Aoun, which has large stones.

History

Libyco-Berber inscriptions from Cheffia

Cheffia is the site of the Roman city of Thullium in the Province of Numidia.^[3] The Cheffia valley contains a number of ruins that can be considered as Libyan necropolises. Reboud describes a number thereof, and their Lybic (Libyco-Berber) inscriptions, and published the map shown in this article. The region was slow to christianize, with Thullium not receiving its first bishop until the end of the fifth century; a bishop from there was present at the Council of Carthage in 525.^[4][5]

Map showing sites where necropolises have been discovered around Cheffia

Notable people

• Boudjemaa Talai (1952–2022), politician