Bayankhongor
Bayankhongor () is the capital of the Bayankhongor Province (aimag) in Mongolia with the administration of the Bayankhongor Sum (district) also located at the same place. The city is at an elevation of 1859 m above sea level, and has a population of 33,147 (2026). Approximately one-third of the aimag's population lives in the city.
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Place details
- Locality
- Баянхонгор ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨ ᠬᠣᠩᠭᠣᠷ
- Region
- Баянхонгор ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨ ᠬᠣᠩᠭᠣᠷ
- Country
- Монгол улс ᠮᠤᠩᠭᠤᠯ ᠤᠯᠤᠰ
- Population
- 30,931
- Timezone
Travel guide
Understand
Bayankhongor was once home to one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, Gegeen Monastery, in Mongolia with over 10,000 Lama monks until Stalinist purges in the 1930s. It was a major center of learning and religion for the region at the time. However, the communist government destroyed most of the temples and executed many of the monks. In the early 1990s, a small concrete ger was established on the site in an effort to restore Tibetan Buddhism. There are several other active monasteries nearby, plus ruins of other also destroyed by the communists. The city is situated near the northern boundary of the Govi Desert with desert to the south and steppe and forests to the north.
Get around
Getting around the town is pretty easy. You can walk from one side to the other in less than 30 minutes. Even the airport is within easy walking distance if you don't have too much luggage. Taxis in Bayanhongor work like they do elsewhere in Mongolia, wave down a random car or go to the market to hire one. Taxis to the villages (or soums) surrounding Bayanhogor gather at the market. Most drivers live in the villages and drive into Bayanhongor in the morning, leaving in the afternoon.
Do
thumb|Albino camel in Bayankhongor
Travel guide from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0)
~2 min read
Article
6 sectionsContents
- History
- Geography
- Administrative divisions
- Tourist attractions
- Transportation
- References
Bayankhongor () is the capital of the Bayankhongor Province (aimag) in Mongolia with the administration of the Bayankhongor Sum (district) also located at the same place. The city is at an elevation of 1859 m above sea level, and has a population of 33,147 (2026). Approximately one-third of the aimag's population lives in the city.
== History == The original founding of Bayankhongor city coincided with the creation of Bayankhongor Province in 1941 by Resolution No. 115 of the Speakers of the Assembly of Mongolia, Bayankhongor Province, and the Legislative Council of the Mongolian People's Republic. However, in the early years of the city it became apparent that the settlement was not suitable for large-scale human habitation that would befit a provincial capital. This is due to the fact that the land around the city was covered in permafrost. Therefore, the original site of the city was abandoned in 1961 in favour of its current-day location. The 900 families comprising more than 3500 people were relocated. Since then, the population of Bayankhongor city has increased substantially to comprise more than 33 thousand people. More than 38% of the population of Bayankhor Province lives in the capital.
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On the map
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