History
According to the authors Amador Díaz García and Manuel Barrios Aguilera, the name Atarfe comes from the Arabic word al-taraf, meaning 'point', which in the Granada dialect would be a- tarf. This is probably in reference to the nearby Castillejo and Tajo Colorao peaks. However, other sources suggest that it originates from the Arabic word artarf, meaning 'boundary', as the boundary of the old city of Elvira was located nearby
The first civilisations to settle in the area date back to the Neolithic period. They were followed by the Iberians and the Romans, who founded the city of Ilíberis on the slopes of the Sierra Elvira. During the Caliphate, the city was renamed Elvira and achieved enormous splendour as the capital of the Cora of Elvira, one of the most important in al-Andalus.
The decisive Battle of Higueruela took place in 1431 a short distance from the village, in the Sierra Elvira, between the troops of Juan II and those of King Muhammad IX of Granada. The Castilian victory in this battle marked a crucial step in the weakening of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Iberia, eventually leading to its fall in 1492. Martín Vázquez de Arce, better known as the Doncel de Sigüenza, died in July 1486 during the Battle of Acequia Gorda.
The town finally fell under Castilian rule following the Battle of Higueruela. Around 1570, during the Morisco rebellion in the Alpujarras (1568-1571). The Moriscos (Muslims who had converted to Christianity) from Albolote, Atarfe, Armilla, Belicena and Pinos Puente gathered in the town's church before the forced expulsion and dispersion throughout other parts of Castile.
In 1920, the businessman José Carrillo de Albornoz established the Fertisac Fertiliser and Sulphuric Acid Factory. The factory was expanded in the 1940s and operated until 1989. The plant produced fertilisers and superphosphates, and the Bobadilla–Granada railway line was essential for transporting them. When there was a surplus, one of its clients was the National Company of Santa Bárbara in El Fargue. The factory's industrial facilities are considered an important part of Andalucia’s industrial heritage.