Amhara (also known as Bet Amhara, "The house of Amhara") was the name of a medieval province of Ethiopia, located in present day Amhara Region, and the pre-1996 province of Wollo. And gave its name to the Amharic language, which in turn gave its name to the Amhara people.
Following the Italian conquest of Ethiopia in 1936, "Amhara" (or Italian "Amara") was used to designate the subdivision of Italian East Africa with its administrative center at Gondar.