Known variously as Kir-hareseth, Kir-heres, or Kir during biblical times, Karak is in the ancient land of Moab. In the second Book of Kings (2 Kings 3:25), there is a description of the Israelites assaulting Moab and taking Karak: "In the end, there was only Kir-hareseth left, which the slingers surrounded and battled." In Isaiah’s Lament for Moab (Isaiah 15:1), he wrote "The night when Kir was ravaged Moab collapsed." Jeremiah (48:31) wrote "And so I lament for Moab, for all Moab I cry aloud, and mourn for the men of Kir-heres." Karak’s importance lasted well into early Byzantine times attested by its appearance, under the name Charachmoba, on the Madaba mosaic map and in the mosaics of St. Stephan’s Church in Umm as-Rasas.

Modern Karak is home to the largest crusader castle in Jordan, and legend places the tomb of the prophet Noah in the area.