Messaâd

Messad
—  Commune and town  —
Messad
Coordinates: 34°10′0″N 3°30′0″E / 34.166667°N 3.5°E / 34.166667; 3.5Coordinates: 34°10′0″N 3°30′0″E / 34.166667°N 3.5°E / 34.166667; 3.5
Country	Algeria
Province	Djelfa Province
District
Population [1]
– Total	114,625
Time zone	West Africa Time (UTC+1)

Messad (sometimes Messaad) is a town in Algeria. It is about 180 miles south of Algiers. During the Roman period it was known as Castellum Dimmidi after the Romans under emperor Septimius Severus seized the settlement. It is unclear if the second part of the name, Dimmidi, was a native name transliterated into Latin, or a new name given by the Romans.

As the Castellum (castle) implies, the settlement was a fortress along the Limes Tripolitanus, the southern border of the province of Numidia. It was a prosperous village and hosted a Roman garrison from roughly 198 to 240 AD.^[2]

See also

• History of the Jews in Algeria

References

1. ^ "World Cities with 110,000 to 125,000 people in 2005", Mongaboy.com. URL last accessed on 8 May 2006.
2. ^ (French) Dr. Rebound, "Notes Archéologiques sur les Ruines de Djelfa", php4arab.com. URL last accessed on 8 May 2006.^{[dead link]}