Arab Idol Mohammad Assaf serenades Dubai

Dubai: Thousands of people gathered outside the Dubai office of Arabic channel MBC to try to catch a glimpse of the newly crowned Arab Idol Mohammad Assaf on Saturday night.

Videos of the songs he performed on the hit show played on a big screen as the crowd sang along patiently - in the sweltering heat.

It didn't take long before Assaf got on stage, much to the joy of his fans.

To the surprise of many, Assaf sang the same song he sang in the final, his own Alli  Il Koufiye, which is an ode to his country, Palestine.

Assaf thanked his supporters and told them he loved them all. He also thanked MBC and his record label Platinum Records for all their support and encouragement.

The Gazan singer is in Dubai to record a single for Ramadan.

MBC's Mazen Hayek told Gulf News that Assaf slept at 7am working on a song for Ramadan and woke up at 12pm.

Assaf insisted on singing for the crowd even though he was tired and got so little sleep.