Atarfe

Atarfe is a Spanish city, that belongs to the province of Granada, in Andalusia. It is located in the north central part of the Vega of Granada. It borders the municipalities of Moclín, Colomera, Albolote, Maracena, Granada, Santa Fe, and Pinos Puente. By this village run the Rivers Cubillas and Colomera. Its districts include Caparacena, Sierra Elvira, Hurpe and Cubillas.

Atarfe
Municipality
View of the city showing its Pink Floyd park and surrounding mountains.
Coat of arms
Atarfe Location in Spain
Coordinates: 37.2229°N 3.6899°W / 37.2229; -3.6899
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Andalusia
Province	Granada
Comarca	Vega de Granada
Judicial district	Granada
Government
• Alcalde	Francisco Rodríguez Quesada (2015) (Por Atarfe Sí)
Area
• Total	47 km^2 (18 sq mi)
Elevation	602 m (1,975 ft)
Population  (2018)[1]
• Total	18,554
• Density	390/km^2 (1,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Atarfeño, ña
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	18230
Website	Official website

History

Granada dictionary of toponimos, authored by Amador Diaz Garcia and Manuel Barrios Aguilera says that its name comes from the Arabic al- Taraf, which in Granada would be a-tarf dialect, meaning strut, probably related to its Castillejo and Colorao peaks.

This view is also shared by the linguist Jesus Martinez del Castillo. Other views situate its origin in the artarf Arabic word which means limit, as it was the limit in the vicinity of the city of Elvira. There seems to be, as some have thought, a Moorish dynasty Tarfe, a close relative of the kings of Granada. The first civilizations that settled into the soil date from the Neolithic, Iberian and Roman close to them, under whose domination Ilíberis city was founded in the foothills of Sierra Elvira. During the Caliphate, the city was renamed Elvira, and achieved great splendor as the capital of the Cora, one of the most important of Al-Andalus.[2]

At short distance from the city center of the village, precisely in the annex of Sierra Elvira, took place the decisive Battle of Higueruela between the troops of Juan II and King Muhammed IX of Granada. In July 1486, during the Battle of the Acequia Gorda, where died Martin Vazquez de Arce, better known as the Doncel Siguenza. It definitely became a Castilian power, after already indicated (Battle of Higueruela.[3]) They met at their church, around 1570, the Moors of Albolote, Atarfe, Armilla, Belicena and Pinos Puente, in order to be ken to Castile.

Politics

Atarfe results of the last municipal elections, held on May 24, 2015 :

Municipal elections – Atarfe (2015)
Politic party	Votes	%Válids	Councilors
Por Atarfe Sí (PASI)	2.583	34,71%	6
Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE)	2.0035	27,35%	5
Partido Popular (PP)	965	12,97%	2
Ciudadanos (C's)	907	12,19%	2
Ganemos Atarfe para la gente (PG)	853	11.46%	2 2

Atarfe results of the municipal elections of 2011:

Municipal elections – Atarfe (2011)
Politic Party	Votes	%Valids	Councilors
Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE)	3.127	42,42%	7
Partido Popular (PP)	2.445	33,16%	6
Izquierda Unida (IU)	1.581	21,44%	4

Monuments

Church of the Incarnation. Erected as a copy of the Metropolitan Church of Granada promoted in 1501, stands on the place where the old mosque Xini was, as published in the Book of Hábices. In 1617 it consisted of a single nave, which still maintains its coffered ceiling tracery conducted by Antonio Bermudez and Christopher Calvo, from the Granada school.

By 1642, three ships midpoint were built, with triumphal arches, made of brick and masonry, like the three gates. Inside there are 12 frames of the Granada Baroque school, called " apostolada series "which can be dated from 1700. Also dated from this year are the tabernacle and pulpit, the latter topped with a sculpture of the Faith.

Santa Ana hermitage. St. Of the town. The chapel is located in what was the Convent of the Order of St. Paul of the Cross, northwest from downtown. After the abandonment of the Convent , the area became the municipal cemetery and once it moved to its current location, the convent chapel became the patron saint, Santa Ana.

Monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in front of the Chapel of Santa Ana, made of stone from Sierra Elvira, by a local sculptor from Granada, Antonio Cano Correa in 1940.

Hermitage of the Three Johns . A local devotee of the Three Johns (Saint John Baptist, Saint John Evangelist and Saint Juan de Dios ), the chapel was erected in the first half of the twentieth century, on the ruins of an old Moorish castle in Cerro del Castillejo. After the death of its creator, construction froze and did not have a religious use. At the end of the century, the town hall finished the work to use it as a civic place, such as a viewing point. The surrounding areas have exotic animals such as peacocks.

Celebrations and festivities

• Local celebrations: They are celebrated around July 26, the festivity of Santa Ana, with cultural and recreational activities for adults and children. During these, bullfights are held at the Coliseo Ciudad Atarfe, a covered bullring, one of the few in Spain.
• Gastronomy: Although today the local gastronomy has become known in the area, it is worth to mention, quince jelly and pipirrana, products of home slaughter", porridge croutons" and maimones soup of tata Frasquita.

1956 earthquake

On 19 April 1956, Atarfe and the neighboring city of Albolote were struck by a M_w5.0 earthquake, Spain's most destructive of the 20th century. Twelve people died from the earthquake and subsequent landslide, and many of the city's buildings were ruined.[4]

Pink Floyd park

Atarfe is known for its music concerts. In 2008, Roger Waters, a former member of the band Pink Floyd, played there,[5] resulting in a public park dedicated to Pink Floyd being created by the council.[6]

Coliseo de Atarfe

Other notable music acts have played in Atarfe, including Placebo, Mark Knopfler and Leonard Cohen,[7] either playing in the Coliseo de Atarfe football stadium[8] or outdoors in the Recinto de Feria. The Coliseo also hosts corridas where top bullfighters such as El Fandi, El Cordobes and Paquirri appear.[9]

References

1. Municipal Register of Spain 2018. National Statistics Institute.
2. "al-Andalus". Historia de al-Andalus.
3. ARTEHISTORIA. "La batalla de la Higueruela – Contextos – ARTEHISTORIA V2". ARTEHISTORIA (in Spanish). Retrieved 2015-10-16.
4. "The earthquake of Atarfe-Albolote, 19th of April 1956" Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. UGR.es. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
5. "El ex Pink Floyd Roger Waters tocará en Atarfe por un millón de euros" (in Spanish). Ideal.es, 9 May 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
6. "El Ayuntamiento de Atarfe dedicará un parque a los míticos Pink Floyd" (in Spanish). GranadaHoy.com, 24 October 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
7. "PLACEBO + LAGARTIJA NICK + DORIAN en el Coliseo de Atarfe" (in Spanish). GranadaZoom.com, 24 July 2009. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
8. Coliseo de Atarfe – official website (in Spanish). Retrieved 2011-11-20.
9. Ciudad Atarfe website (in Spanish) Archived 2011-07-05 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2011-11-20.

External links

• Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía – Statistical information
• Ciudad Atarfe – Tourist, cultural and administrative information on Atarfe
• Coliseo de Atarfe – Listings for the Coliseo events