It was the centrepiece of Amman’s night life for nearly a decade, but on the last Thursday before Ramadan, Nai shut it’s doors forever
There can’t be an Ammani over the age of 20 who hasn’t spent at least one Thursday night fighting to get down those stairs around the back of what was once the Howard Johnson hotel in Shmeisani. The clipboard-wielding tyrant in front of the heavy wooden door dictated whether you would be among the beautiful people in Nai or the seriously bitter in the Dove’s Irish Pub. But in late August, after nine years of being the premier club in the Kingdom, Nai had its last ever party. The club outlived them all has finally slipped into Ammani history, taking with it a decade of fun, festivities, frolics and, yes, the occasional fist fight over some dude’s sister. Azzam Fakhreldine, owner and creator, looks back at it’s legacy – and what’s replacing it.
NOX: So, obvious question, why did you decide to close Nai?
Azzam Fakhreldine: A number of reasons, really. The most obvious was that the noise was causing us some problems with both local residents and hotel guests – particularly the special DJ events. The police were asking us to shut earlier and earlier, so it was time to rethink. We are also expanding the hotel so we have 100 rooms by 2010, so I think we wanted a more serene environment. I also think that you can’t run a club successfully unless you know the music scene and your customers inside out, and as I got older I found I knew less and less about both. That’s when you know you need to rethink – I mean, this place was my life from the age of 27!
NOX: We presume you are going to put something in its place…
AF: We’re working on a much more laid-back, chill lounge feel, where people can kick back after work. We’ve brought in designers from Turkey and Egypt to create a very open, light space – and very contemporary. It has to be very different otherwise people will simply compare it to Nai. It’s a totally new place and a new concept. Hopefully that will be open around the turn of the year.
NOX: But Nai isn’t going forever…
AF: No, far from it. We’ve found a space in Abdali, at the top of one of the new buildings there, for a rooftop bar. We’re calling it Nai Out, and that will be open sometime in 2011, I think. So we can all have a two-year detox!
NOX: So, how was the closing party? Emotional?
AF: Very emotional, actually. It was unbelievable the number of people who came, people who had been customers right the way through from the beginning. I even had woman come up to me crying, and I thought something had happened at the door, but she just said, “Don’t close! This was where I came when I was depressed to cheer me up!”
NOX: So who came?
AF: Everyone! There was even a customer who hadn’t been in any nightclub for four years, and was married with kids. He said he had to come down to say goodbye and ended up staying until 4am! I saw people who met at Nai and are now married, others who couldn’t get in when we first opened and then became VIP customers. There were even 20-year-old kids whose parents used to come as late-30, early 40-somethings.
NOX: Do you have any special memories from the last nine years?
AF: Oh, way too many. We’ve had some big stars like Amr Diab and Cheb Mami, and Fashion TV came down once. We had so many incredible parties where live musicians would improv with DJs. But the biggest was probably when 50 cent showed up one Thursday night. He came down and even MC-ed over his hits like “Candy Shop”. The place was raging.
NOX: How would you sum up Nai?
AF: It was a club that really helped shape the night life in Amman, innovated a lot, and stayed on top of the scene for nine years, while other clubs came and went. And for most of our customers, it was simply home, a place where you knew the bartenders and they knew your drink. It was a big part of so many people’s lives.
