Institute of Amhara Studies

The Amhara land and the Amhara people are endowed with a wide range of infinite spiritual and material resources. These resources have attracted the attention of many writers ranging from the ancient Greek writers to contemporary writers, from domestic to foreign writers. The records about the Amhara land and people can also be found in several religious and secular writings.

The Amhara land and the Amhara people have attracted the attention of the global community for various reasons. The Horn of Africa, where the Amhara people live in, is one of the most geopolitically important places in the world. Its proximity to the Red Sea, being the source of the Blue Nile River, and the presence of rivers that contribute a large portion of the Blue Nail water, are some of the reasons that have attracted the attention of the world.  In addition, since ancient times, it has been a place where cross-border trade randomly called as ‘SIRARA’ had flourished, and its contribution to the economy and culture has been significant. These days, the Amhara land and people continue to be a center of economic focus, as it is a place where various agricultural products are widely produced and where many precious minerals are found.

The Amhara people possess numerous artistic, cultural, and historical treasures. Among the artistic treasures are literature, painting, sculpture, traditional and modern music, dance, theater, film, and different handicrafts. Among the cultural aspects are the age-old resources of weddings, mourning and funeral, mediation, justice, child rearing, education, friendship, “Mahiber”,  “Equb”, land management,  beauty care, environmental care, architecture, gender, medicine and treatment, agricultural production, nutrition, clothing, and so on.  The Amhara people have also a history of establishing a state and strengthening a country dated back several centuries. 

Although identifying, collecting, analyzing, and utilizing the culture, history, language, and other values ​​of a community requires a coordinated effort from all research and education professionals, there is still no institution in Ethiopia that operates at an institutional level  concerned with the issues of the Amhara land and people.  Hence, this demands an immediate intervention; cooperation and synergy to build a certain organization or institutions that cultivate, organize and operate efforts of the Amhara people and investing the effort back to the prosperity of the people.

Based on this, institutionalized activities for the overall development of the Amhara region and the Amhara people are a priority. It is not only a privilege but also an obligation to preserve and manage in an organized manner all the material, spiritual, cultural, religious, social, historical, contemporary, man-made, and natural resources and issues that define the Amhara land and the Amhara people, so that they can be used by both the current and future generations, and to properly understand and preserve our value and pass them on from generation to generation. This Institute of Amhara Studies was established on March, 2022, through a survey and workshop to fulfill this cherished and obligatory responsibility.