This last fortress of the eleventh-century Ziridian rulers, was all that existed when the Nasrid ruler Ibn al-Ahmar made Granada his capital, but from its reddish walls the hilltop had already taken its name: Al Qal'a al-Hamra in Arabic means literally "the red fort". Ibn al-Ahmar rebuilt the Alcazaba and added to it the huge circuit of walls and towers which forms your first view of the castle.
Within the walls he began a palace, which he supplied with running water by diverting the River Darro nearly 8km to the foot of the hill; water is an integral part of the Alhambra and this engineering feat was Ibn al-Ahmar's greatest contribution. The Palacios Nazaríes was essentially the product of his fourteenth-century successors, particularly Yusuf I and Mohammed V, who built and redecorated many of its rooms in celebration of his accession to the throne (in 1354) and the taking of Algeciras (in 1369).
After their conquest of the city, Fernando and Isabel lived for a while in the Alhambra. They restored some rooms and converted the mosque but left the palace structure unaltered. As at Córdoba and Sevilla, it was Emperor Carlos V, their grandson, who wreaked the most insensitive destruction, demolishing a whole wing of rooms in order to build a Renaissance palace.
This and the Alhambra itself were simply ignored by his successors and by the eighteenth century the Palacios Nazaríes was in use as a prison. In 1812 it was taken and occupied by Napoleon's forces, who looted and damaged whole sections of the palace, and on their retreat from the city tried to blow up the entire complex. Their attempt was thwarted only by the action of a crippled soldier who remained behind and removed the fuses.
Two decades later the Alhambra's "rediscovery" began, given impetus by the American writer Washington Irving, who set up his study in the empty palace rooms and began to write his marvellously romantic Tales of the Alhambra (on sale all over Granada – and good reading amid the gardens and courts). Shortly after its publication, the Spaniards made the Alhambra a national monument and set aside funds for its restoration. This continues to the present day and is now a highly sophisticated project, scientifically removing the accretions of later ages in order to expose and meticulously restore the Moorish creations.
Although the Alhambra is today devoid of furniture, and most of the rich colours of its decoration have worn off, we have been left at least the testimony of its purpose summed up for prosperity by the dynasty's moto, 'wa Ia galiba illa Allah' (No one conquers but Allah), which appears so many times in the decoration of its buildings amidst innumerable religious quotations and poetic lines, as proof of a spirit alive beyond mere material constructions.
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We firmly believe in an all round development of the community and a full support for our youth who will be citizens of tomorrow. All our activities are focussed to bring back to the community. It's said " What you Give Stays with You".
Sai Baba by his own example has showed the path of service to humanity. He took care of the sick and the needy himself, cooked food and served with his own hands to all. He was also a generous donor, giving away all the dakshina that devotees gave him to the needy and remained a fakir always.
NESSP strives to serve the community by following the Sadguru's example. The different charitable activities we have undertaken in the past are:
Service - Our volunteers took part in a landscaping project at the Stoneham Zoo to beautify its look for the visitors.
Children's Hospital - NESSP Team has been regularly participating in the Annual Cancer Care walk for Lowell Children's Hospital to raise money for the hospital.
A special thank you to the NESSP team for helping make Youth Villages’ 5th Annual Back-to-School Initiative such a success! Your gifts of backpacks and school supplies will allow children helped by Youth Villages Massachusetts to start the new school year off on the right foot.
This simple yet powerful thank you letter written by a grateful young boy who received a backpack during a past initiative filled with the latest school supplies puts into words the impact your support has on our youth.
We’d love to stay in touch with you and periodically inform you about the success of our programs, volunteer initiatives and individual children and families.
"Thank you so much for the school supplies. I really needed those things. My mom can’t afford those things right now, so you guys saved me. Thank you so much."
In the month of January we are collecting kids (infant - 18 year old) winter outer wear clothing and footwear for our winter donation drive for an organization called "Cradles to Crayons The Giving Factory"(www.cradlestocrayons.org) .We will be collecting, New or Gently used
If you would like to help us with this cause, please bring these to the temple on your next visit. You can also help us by spreading the word, by telling your friends, neighbors, and co-workers about it.
There has been a lot of interest in our devotees to do yoga practice together in the temple. With Baba's blessing we found a certified instructor in Chelmsford,who is volunteering to teach us Yoga once a week. So starting this Saturday on Dec 4th 2010, we will have yoga, pranayama and meditation practice in the temple every Saturday from 09:00 AM to 10:00 AM.
Everybody is welcome. Whether you have been meditating for a while, or you are a beginner to meditation, you are welcome to these sessions.
Sai Baba says "I am formless and everywhere." In meditation we access the inner temple which is in our own hearts and beings.
We have cricket tournaments for the grownup and regular scheduled Chess class every Sunday for young kids.
Current/Elliott's 'The Crossover' jeans have a classic straight-leg silhouette. Made from light-blue denim, this cropped pair is distressed at the knee and has raw cuffs. We'll be wearing ours off-duty with a blazer and ankle boots.