In 1886, 43,643 people lived in Ardahan Vilayet of which 46.6% was Turkish, 16% was Kurdish, 14.3% Karapapakh, 12.9% Greek, 7.2% Turkmen, 2.4% Russian and 0.6% Armenian.

[4] In the 1897 Russian Empire Census, Ardahan okrug had a population of 65,763 of which 42.6% was Turkish, 19.1% Kurdish, 12% Karapapakh, 11.9% Greek, 6.6% Turkmen and 2.9% Armenian.

[6] In 1908, Ardahan sancak had a population of 71,469 of which 41.6% was Turkish, 18.1% was Kurdish, 15.4% Greek, 14.4% Karapapakh, 7.9% Turkmen, 2.2% Russian and 0.4% Armenian.

[11][12] In the Middle Ages Ardahan served as an important transit point for goods arriving from the Abbasid Caliphate and departing to the regions around the Black Sea.

According to the Arab historian Yahya of Antioch, the Byzantines razed Ardahan and slaughtered its population in 1021.

In 1578 Ottomans appointed the former Georgian prince, Manuchar (who took the name of Mustafa after converting to Islam) as the first governor.

At this altitude temperatures on average reach −20 °C (−4 °F) and can drop below freezing all year round, including summer months.

The Turkish military have a strong presence in this border district, another boost to the local economy.