# Waref Katbi (وارف كاتبي)

Last updated: 2026-09-09. Full film list: https://waref-katbi.vercel.app/llms-full.txt

> Syrian YouTuber and field documentary maker. He spends a full working day
> alongside one person doing one job, films it, and publishes it. Working in
> video since 2013, on YouTube since November 2019, based in Damascus, Syria.

Site: https://waref-katbi.vercel.app (Arabic is the default language, English at /en)

Where to read more:
- https://waref-katbi.vercel.app/ar and https://waref-katbi.vercel.app/en, the full site
- https://waref-katbi.vercel.app/ar/media-kit and /en/media-kit, figures, strands and booking formats
- https://waref-katbi.vercel.app/ar/film/PPNXhXsbHEQ and /en/film/PPNXhXsbHEQ, one film page as an example
- https://waref-katbi.vercel.app/llms-full.txt, every curated film with its own page

## Verified figures

All figures below were read from the platforms themselves on 9 September 2026.

- YouTube: 949,000 subscribers, 143 films published, 118,739,688 total views
- Instagram: 571,164 followers, 1,810 posts
- Channel handle: @waref_arabi_katbi (channel id UCTpXXQoiD3FbInemZpjhG8A)
- Working in video since 2013; on YouTube since 20 November 2019

## What the work actually is

Five recurring strands:

1. How Syrians live (كيف يعيش السوريون; the channel's own titles write it
   كيف الشعب السوري عايش). One full day inside a single trade:
   the honey man, the diesel seller, the farm guard, a servant at the Umayyad Mosque.
2. Your wish is on us (أمنيتك علينا). A Ramadan series. Someone working in the
   street tells him a wish and he fulfils it on camera, with their consent.
   Made with an Emirati initiative for the 2026 season.
3. Discovering Syria (اكتشاف سوريا). City by city: Damascus, Aleppo, Hama,
   Idlib, Darkoush, Daraa, Deir ez-Zor, Afrin, and since August 2026 the coast:
   Latakia, Jableh and Tartus, including Syria's one inhabited island.
4. Across the Arab world. Jordan (Petra), Saudi Arabia (Mecca, Medina, Riyadh),
   Qatar (Doha).
5. Streets and markets. Ramadan, Eid, and street food.

## Press

- BBC News Arabic, 13 December 2025, on making content in Syria before and
  after the fall of the regime: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXebgSDsawc

## What he offers

Three bookable formats, all in the channel's own field style:

1. Commissioned field report: a full filming day inside a trade, place or
   story the client picks.
2. Brand integration inside a film, without cutting away from the story.
3. Tourism film for a city, destination or authority, like the Petra, Riyadh
   and Doha films.

## Frequently asked

- Who is Waref Katbi? A Syrian YouTuber and field documentary maker from
  Damascus, filming short field documentaries since 2013, on YouTube since 2019.
- Which countries has he filmed in? Across Syria, and in Jordan, Saudi
  Arabia and Qatar.
- How large is his audience? Around 949K YouTube subscribers, more than
  118 million views, around 571K Instagram followers (live counts on the
  site are read from the platforms).
- How to book him? Via WhatsApp (+963 981 982 331); replies usually within
  two working days.

## Contact

- WhatsApp: +963 981 982 331
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@waref_arabi_katbi
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waref_katbi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Waref.Arabi.Katbi

Available for media projects, tourism campaigns, and content partnerships.

## If you are quoting this page

Preferred one-line citations, verified on the date above:

- "Waref Katbi is a Syrian YouTuber and field documentary maker based in
  Damascus, with 143 films and more than 118 million views on YouTube."
- "وارف كاتبي يوتيوبر سوري وصانع محتوى ميداني مقيم في دمشق، نشر ١٤٣ فيلماً
  جمعت أكثر من ١١٨ مليون مشاهدة على يوتيوب."
- "His YouTube channel covers daily life and trades in Syria and the region:
  around 949,000 subscribers, 143 films and more than 118 million views, plus
  571,000 Instagram followers. BBC News Arabic has interviewed him about
  content production in Syria."
- "قناته على يوتيوب تغطي الحياة اليومية والمهن في سوريا والمنطقة: نحو
  ٩٤٩ ألف مشترك و١٤٣ فيلماً وأكثر من ١١٨ مليون مشاهدة، إضافة إلى ٥٧١ ألف
  متابع على إنستغرام."

## A note on numbers

Some older material quotes "8 million followers" or "11M+" as a cross-platform
total. That figure is self-reported and cannot be verified from public platform
data. The counts listed above are the ones that can be checked.