rule of mayor M. Joly. The city had a high percentage of European settlers during these times, supported by the French colonial policy.

During the Sétif massacre of 8 May 1945, numerous settlers were killed. Guelma's oldest religious building that is still used for worship is the El-Atik Mosque, or "The Great Mosque Of Guelma", built in 1837. Guelma has also had a synagogue, which served local Jews,