Especially local, Kurdish, Terekeme (Kapakalpak) and Azeri people and very few Malakan and Dukhobor communities are living Abbasid, Byzantinum, Bagrad, Seljukians, Saltukian, Mongols, Georgians, Karakoyunlu Tribe’s, Akkoyunlu Tribe’s, Ottoman, Russian and Turkish governments’ political ruling activities can be seen in the province where the first settlement dates back to B.C. 13000. Especially local, Kurdish, Terekeme (Kapakalpak) and Azeri people and very few Malakan and Dukhobor communities are living in Kars territories where such tribes lived once. In 11th century, in the works of Mahmud of Kashgar, Kars was mentioned as the cloth made out of camel or sheep fur, and Karsak was mentioned as moorland fox of which skin is used to make fur. Another theory about the name of the city is that it is coming from a Turkish tribe, Karsak, coming from Caucasus in B.C. 130-127 and settled around Kars.

After conquered by Seljukians in 1065, Kars was granted to Turkish Şeddatlı Tribe. Captured by Georgians in 1200, the region was destroyed by Mongols in 1239. After the withdrawal of Mongol from Anatolia, the region was seized by Karakoyunlu tribe in 1406 and Akkoyunlu tribe in 1467. It was included in the territory of Ottoman Empire in 1535 and it became the most important military base against firstly Iranians and then Russians until 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War. The province was under the occupation of Russian for 40 years between 1878 and 1918. The military troop under the command of Kazım Karabekir saved Kars on 30 October 1920 and gained it to the territory of Turkey.