The fighting that broke out earlier this week has quickly become Ethiopia's most serious security crisis since a two-year civil war in Tigray region, which neighbours Amhara, ended in November.
Amhara's regional government requested additional help from federal authorities on Thursday to reimpose order.
"It was found necessary to declare a state of emergency as it had become difficult to control this outrageous activity based on the regular legal system," Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office said in a statement.
The unrest is the latest spasm of violence to hit the country, the second most populous in Africa after Nigeria, since Abiy took office in 2018. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for his peacemaking efforts with Eritrea.
Friday's order gave the government powers to impose curfews, restrict movement, ban the carrying of guns and other sharp objects, ban public gatherings, and to make arrests and conduct searches without warrants.
The government could also close or limit the movements of media outlets it deems to be operating contrary to the emergency orders, the Government Communication Service said in a posting on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
The orders applied to Amhara for now, but could be imposed in other areas if needed, the government said.
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