DJELFA

also called (after 1981) El-Djelfa town, north-central Algeria, in the Oulad Nal Mountains at an elevation of 3,734 feet (1,138 m). It is situated between the towns of Bou Sada and Laghouat. Djelfa town is at a point of transition between the dry, steppelike High Plateaus of the north, with their chotts (intermittent salt lakes), and the Sahara (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 seminomadic Arab Ouled Nal confederation. The surrounding region for centuries has been the meeting place of the Ouled Nal, who live in black-and-red striped tents and claim descent from the Prophet Muhammad. The area is notable for its abundance of Neolithic rock carvings dating from 7000 to 5000 BC. North of Djelfa town there is an imposing physical feature known as Salt Rock (Rocher de Sel) that resulted from the erosion of rock salts and marls by rain, and to the west of the town Megalithic funerary structures are found. Pop. (1987) 84,207.