Administratively, Qarshi is a district-level city, that includes the urban-type settlement Qashqadaryo.

It is in the center of a fertile oasis that produces wheat, cotton, and silk and was a stop on the 11-day caravan route between Balkh and Bukhara.

The Mongol Chagataid khans Kebek and Qazan built palaces here on the site of Chinggis Khaan's summer pasture.

[4] In 1364, Timur also built a fortified palace with moats in what is now the southern part of the city.

[1][5] With the decline of Shahrisabz in the 18th century, Qarshi grew in importance, and was the seat of the Crown Prince to the Emirate of Bukhara.