The telethon followed criticism that Saudi Arabia had not done enough to help in the tsunami relief efforts.
Among those who contributed in the telethon were King Fahd who donated $5 million; Crown Prince Abdullah, $2.5 million; and Prince Sultan, $1.25 million.
The biggest single donation came from Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who gave $17 million.
Earlier this week, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia tripled its initial pledge to the tsunami efforts from $10 million to $30 million, saying it was doing so “in light of the recent assessment of the magnitude of the tragedy.”
The $500 million donation by the Islamic Development Bank matches the largest donation to date from an international financial institution. The World Bank also has pledged $500 million.
