Baskale is situated 20 km (12 mi) west of the Turkey-Iran border. 138 km (86 mi) of the national border is on the east and north-east of the Baskale district. Baskale shares district borders with Yüksekova district of Hakkari Province to the south, Saray and Özalp districts of Van Province to the north, and Gürpinar district of Van Province to the west.

Baskale is situated 2460 metres above sea level, in the valley of the Great Zab River (Zapsuyu), and the town stands on the eastern slope of the south eastern Taurus Mountains. The majority of the 2,599 km2 (1,003 sq mi) Baskale district is mountainous. The agricultural portion is only 355 km2 (137 sq mi), approximately 14% of the total area. Baskale is enclosed by Mount (Yigit)/Haravil (3468 m) in the east, Mount Baskale/Ispiriz (3668 m) in the west, and Mount Gökdag (3604 m) in the south-east. The mountains of Mor, Haravil, Mengene and Çekvan are in the district of Baskale. Other geographical features in Baskale include the Karasu river, and the plateaus of Nebirnav, Kevçikan, Hanasor, Çekvan, Askitan (Ülya), Perihan, Meydan, Harinan, Terazin, Sülav, Medgezeren, Pistekan, Herevil-Sirez, Derevan, Derik, Bagarük, Düava and Mengen.

Baskale was founded by Urartians as the town of Adamma. Since the 2nd century BC it was known in Armenian language as Adamakert and was the main fortress of the Medz Aghbak district of the Armenian kingdom. Since 385 AD control of the area alternated between Parthia and the Roman Empire. In the 3rd century AD the Sassanid (Persian) Empire took control of district from the Roman Empire.

After the division of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire took control in the 6th century. In 645 AD Arabs took control of the Baskale area. In the period of the Arsacid and Bagratuni dynasties' rule, Adamakert was taken back by the Armenian kingdom after resisting the Persian and Arabians. During the Arsacid era, Adamakert was a part of Armenia's Aghbak district and was a possession of Vaspurakan's Artsruni dynasty. The 10th century chronicler, Tovmas Artzruni, wrote that the dynasty had originated in this region, and mentions the city-fortress of Adamakert as the residence of the dynasty (believed to be the site of present-day Baskale).

After the Battle of Malazgirt in 1071, control passed to Seljuk Empire. After 1100, Ahlatshah beylik controlled the area. After a short period of Ayyubid control and the Mongol attack of 1245, the region was controlled by Anatolian Seljuks, Ilkhanate, and Timur. After the overthrow of Timur in 1386 by Kara Koyunlu federation of Turkoman tribes, the Safavids took control at the beginning of the 16th century. When the Yavuz Sultan Selim defeated the Safavids in the Battle of Çaldiran, Van and surrounding area was included in Ottoman Empire, but control returned to the Safavids several times after the Battle of Çaldiran. In 1548, during the period of Kanuni Sultan Süleyman, the Ottoman Empire finally took full control of the area.

In 1829, the German orientalist Friedrich Eduard Schulz was murdered near Baskale, along with four servants. Schultz had been traveling in the area since 1827, recording evidence of Urartian culture. Baskale became the capital town of Elbak kaza of Hakkari sanjak in the Ottoman vilayet (province) of Van.