The province bordered Pars in the west, Abarshahr and Sakastan in the northeast, Paradan in the east, Spahan in the north, and Mazun in the south.

The province allegedly functioned as some kind of vassal kingdom, being mostly ruled by princes from the royal family, who bore the title of Kirmanshah ("King of Kirman").

According to the medieval Iranian historian al-Tabari, Ardashir I overthrew a local king in Kirman named Balash, who was either a member of the Arsacid royal family or the seven Parthian clans.

[3] During the reign of Shapur III (r. 383–388), his son Bahram IV governed Kirman, where he built the town of Shiragan, which would serve as the capital of the province for the remainder of the Sasanian period.

[7] It was the Arab military leader Mujashi ibn Mas'ud al-Sulami that led the conquest of Kirman, capturing some towns by force while others surrendered without any form of major resistance.

[2] In terms of commerce, Kirman was oriented toward Pars and Media, whether through the Persian Gulf or its roads to the major cities of Istakhr and Hamadan.

The Kofchi, a nomadic people of obscure origins that spoke an Iranian language, inhabited the Bashagird range and its western surroundings.