[2] Karasor, an endorheic salt lake, is located in the district, north of the Karkaraly and Kent mountain ranges.

[4][5] The Karkaraly District is home to the Kent Settlement, located in the village of Kent [ru], an archeological digsite which dates back to the Bronze Age.

[6][7] Discovered in 1985,[6] the site includes a proto-city which spans 30 hectares,[6][7] complementary farmland which exceeds 100 hectares in area,[7] a religious building,[7] and furnaces used to make bronze and possibly iron.

[6][7] During the times of the Russian Empire, the town of Karkaraly was home to the Koyandy Fair, one of the largest economic and cultural gatherings in the Kazakh Steppes.

[8] Major figures who visited the town during the time of the Russian Empire included Abai Kunanbaev, Shoqan Walikhanov, Mikhail Prishvin, Grigory Potanin, Aleksandr Zatayevich, and Mukhtar Auezov.