Although its foundation was probably much earlier, Erzurum achieved real importance as Theodosiopolis, a 5th-century-AD Byzantine fortress that fell to the Arabs in 653. Thereafter it was disputed among the Byzantines, Arabs, and Armenians until taken by the Seljuq Turks in 1071; it prospered in the early 13th century under Seljuq sultans. The Arabs and the Turks called it Arzan ar-Rūm, or Arz ar-Rūm (“Land of the Romans”), from which its present name is derived. It came under Ottoman control in 1515. The city was occupied by Russian forces in 1829, 1878, and 1916–18. It was in Erzurum, in July 1919, that Mustafa Kemal (Atatürk, Kemal) (later Atatürk) presided over the first Turkish nationalist congress, leading to the establishment of the Turkish Republic.

Historically important buildings include Seljuq theological colleges (1253 and 1308), the Great Mosque (12th century), and royal mausoleums (12th and 13th centuries). There is a local archaeological museum. Erzurum is the seat of Atatürk University (1957). It is important as a centre for trade in livestock, but it has little industry other than a sugar-beet factory; local craftsmen still excel in metalwork and saddlery. The city has a large Kurdish population.

The surrounding region is drained by the Karasu River, a headstream of the Euphrates, and the Aras and Çoruh rivers. Agricultural products include wheat, barley, millet, sugar beets, and vegetables. Pop. (2000) 361,235.