Syrian YouTuber, field documentary maker118 million views on the channelSince 2013
Waref Katbi
عيلة الأكابر
I go into the street, work a full day alongside the person doing the job, and film what actually happens.
Channel figures
Last saved reading
Read straight from YouTube and Instagram
YouTube subscribers
views on the channel
118,739,688 views on the channelInstagram followers
571,164 Instagram followersfilms published
143 films published
Who Waref Katbi is
Waref Katbi is a Syrian YouTuber and field documentary maker based in Damascus. He started his YouTube channel in November 2019, has published 143 films with more than 118 million views, and is followed by around 949K subscribers on YouTube and 571K on Instagram. He has filmed in 10 cities inside Syria and in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
My method is plain: I spend a full day with one person. I carry what they carry, I get as tired as they do, and I ask about the things nobody says on camera. By the end of the day what I have on camera is a person: a name and a day's work.
The camera goes where the news report does not.
- Based in
Damascus, Syria- Channel since
- 2019
- In the field since
- 2013
- YouTube
- @waref_arabi_katbi
The archive
Five strands of work, all from the same channel. Tap any film to watch it here.
36 films shownThere are 143 films on the channel
276K10,162A tour of Syria's most beautiful island and village
Tartus
319K7,868Tartus: hidden places in the mountains
Tartus
393K8,348Inside the most expensive hotels in Syria
Latakia
431K14,092Latakia and Jableh: the Valley of the Kings
Latakia
484K15,351A trip to Quneitra and Beit Jinn
409K7,360A full day inside the life of the rich
Jordan
221K5,030A full day in Petra
Petra, Jordan
508K19,070The bread seller: Umm al-Nour's story
486K15,369My first time in Daraa
Daraa
390K10,811Street food during the World Cup
Damascus
797K16,879I tried the most expensive restaurants in Syria
Damascus
415K12,227A full day with the honey man
476K11,803The streets on Eid al-Adha
Damascus
443K9,544A full day serving at the Umayyad Mosque
382K11,048Inside the Umayyad Mosque: places filmed for the first time
Damascus
239K6,583Riyadh Season
Riyadh
547K11,321The best Syrian restaurants in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh
583K17,956I took 250 people to Umrah for free
Mecca and Medina
393K13,859A full day guarding a farm
489K14,629I worked a full day selling diesel
382K9,057Eid al-Fitr in the markets of Syria
1M27,552A full day with the cardboard seller
360K19,496A full day with the phone repairman
418K12,478A full day with the street vendor
493K16,156A full day with the taxi driver
566K17,324A full day with the date seller
466K7,810Ramadan in Syria
570K14,351My first time in Deir ez-Zor
Deir ez-Zor
293K5,418Through Qatar's streets and markets
Doha
402K8,592Through the streets of Qatar: my first visit
Doha
425K7,035The old quarters and markets of Hama
Hama
380K9,325Damascus from the air on liberation day
Damascus
458K9,266Green Idlib
Idlib
770K12,288The other face of Aleppo
Aleppo
538K11,301A hidden valley in the Idlib countryside: Darkoush
Darkoush
710K21,602My first time in Afrin
Afrin
- 484K15,351
A trip to Quneitra and Beit Jinn
- 409K7,360
A full day inside the life of the rich
Jordan - 221K5,030
A full day in Petra
Petra, Jordan - 508K19,070
The bread seller: Umm al-Nour's story
- 486K15,369
My first time in Daraa
Daraa - 390K10,811
Street food during the World Cup
Damascus - 797K16,879
I tried the most expensive restaurants in Syria
Damascus - 415K12,227
A full day with the honey man
That was 36 films. The rest live on the channel.
107 more are waiting, with new ones landing all the time.
Instagram reels
Short cuts from the shoot, posted to Instagram first.
Where I have filmed
4 countries and 15 cities appear in the films collected here. 10 of the cities are inside Syria.
Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Idlib, Darkoush, Daraa, Deir ez-Zor, Afrin, Latakia, Tartus, Petra, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh, Doha
- Filmed here
- Based here
Your wish is on us
A series I started in Ramadan and film with my crew: we hear the wish of someone working in the street, then make it happen on camera, with their consent.
The help is half of it. The other half is that the person moves out of the background of the shot and into the middle of it, with a name and a story, the way Umm al-Nour the bread seller did.
- A full day with the cardboard seller1M views
- A full day with the date seller566K views
- A full day with the taxi driver493K views
- The bread seller: Umm al-Nour's story508K views
Produced with an Emirati initiative for the 2026 season.
Playing silently. Sound lives on YouTube.
From the comments
Real voices from under the films, quoted as written.
Press and interviews
A BBC News Arabic interview about how the films get made and the people in them.
Frequently asked
The questions that come up before a first message.
Who is Waref Katbi?
A Syrian field documentary maker and presenter from Damascus, filming short documentaries about trades, daily life and travel since 2013, on YouTube since 2019.
Which countries has he filmed in?
In 10 Syrian cities, and in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The map in the field section shows every city with its films.
What kind of content does he make?
Five strands: a full day inside one trade, the Your-wish-is-on-us series, discovering Syria's cities, journeys across the Arab world, and streets and markets.
How large is his audience?
The figures at the top of this page are live: around 949K YouTube subscribers with more than 118 million views, and around 571K Instagram followers.
How do I reach him for a collaboration or an ad?
Via WhatsApp on the number in the work-with-me section. Mention the kind of collaboration; replies usually come within two working days.
Does he take commissions from organisations?
Yes. He is available for commissioned field reports, tourism films and brand integrations, as listed under What I offer.
Is Waref Katbi one of Syria's best-known YouTubers?
The figures are the answer: around 949K subscribers, 143 films and more than 118 million views, plus 571K Instagram followers. BBC News Arabic has interviewed him about content production in Syria.
Work with me
Available for media projects, tourism campaigns, and content partnerships.
What I offer
Three ways to work together, all in the channel's own style: a full day in the field, close to the people.
- 1
Commissioned field report
A full filming day inside a trade, place or story your organisation picks, made with the same method that has drawn 118 million views.
Ask about this on WhatsApp - 2
Brand integration in a film
Your brand appears naturally inside one of the channel's films, without cutting away from the story.
Ask about this on WhatsApp - 3
Tourism film for a city or authority
A film that introduces Arab audiences to a destination, like the Petra, Riyadh and Doha films.
Ask about this on WhatsApp
The channel's figures and collaboration formats on one page, ready to print and share.
Media kitFollow me where I post
