According to research, the communities first started to live in Kars during the Lower Paleolithic Age. The communities lived in Kars and its vicinity during the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods. Kars was first governed by the Urartu Kingdom as a city.
In 550 BC, Kars was ruled by the Persians. In the following years, Araks, Tigran and Sassanid states conquered Kars. In 646, Kars was conquered by the Arabs. And until the 11th century, Kars had changed hands among Arabs, Bagratites and Byzantines.
In 1064, the Seljuk state conquered Kars. And until 1534, Kars changed hands between various Turkish states. In 1534, Kars was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. After the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, Kars has been a city of the Republic of Turkey.