Royal Carabinieri Amara Medal

This commemorative medal honours the Royal Carabinieri stationed in the historic region of Amara (modern Amhara) within Italian East Africa following the establishment of the Italian Empire in 1936.

The Royal Carabinieri were entrusted with military policing, public security, territorial administration and law enforcement throughout the colony. In the Amara region they operated in towns, strategic routes and remote outposts, supporting both military and civil authorities.

The obverse depicts a lion pierced by a sword with a fortress in the background. The lion represents Ethiopia, traditionally associated with the Lion of Judah, while the sword symbolises the military campaign and the establishment of Italian control over the region. The reverse bears the historic Carabinieri motto “Nei Secoli Fedele”, together with the identification of the command.

Amara was one of Ethiopia’s most important historical and cultural regions, home to several former imperial capitals and significant religious centres. Maintaining public order in such a strategically important territory formed a substantial part of the Carabinieri’s responsibilities.

This medal belongs to a wider series of commemorative issues dedicated to the various territorial Carabinieri commands of Italian East Africa, preserving the memory of their service during one of the most significant overseas deployments in the history of the Corps.