[b][6] The first documented reference to Kizlyar dates back to 1609, although some historians associate the place with Samandar, the 8th-century capital of Khazaria.

[citation needed] In 1735 the Russian government built a fortress in Kizlyar and laid foundations for the Caucasus fortified borderline.

On 18 February 2018 five people were killed and five wounded after a shooting attack took place outside a Christian church in Kizlyar.

[1] As an administrative division, it is, together with one urban-type settlement (Komsomolsky) and one rural locality (the railway crossing loop of No.

[3] As of the 2021 Census, the town's ethnic composition was as follows:[10][verification needed] In the early 19th century, Kizlyar became a center of viticulture and wine making.