Arsk Field was east of the walls of mediaeval Kazan. The name may come from the Archa Darugha, a subdivision of the Khanate of Kazan. Alternatively, it could be named for the road leading to the city of Arsk, which passed through the field. In 1552 it served as the base of for Tatar troops during the siege of Kazan by Russian troops under Ivan the Terrible. In 1774, it was a battlefield for engagements between rebels supporting Pugachev and governmental forces.