| Native Name: | 巴彦浩特镇 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Translit Lang1: | Mongolian |
| Area Total Km2: | 5433.8 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 32 |
| Area Urban Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | 1450 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 94445 |
| Population As Of: | 2010 |
| Translit Lang1 Info1: | Mongolian: ᠪᠠᠶᠠᠨᠬᠣᠲᠠ ᠪᠠᠯᠭᠠᠰᠤ |
| Translit Lang1 Type1: | Mongolian |
Bayanhot is a town in Alxa Left Banner, it is the capital and largest town of Alxa League. Its name originates from Mongolian meaning 'rich town'.[3] It was formerly known as Dingyuanying or Wang Ye Fu.[4] In 2010 the population was 94,445.[5]
The town is bordered by the Helan Mountains in the east and by the Tengger Desert in the west.[6]
The town was established in 1730 as Dingyuanying and renamed to Bayanhot in 1952. It has historically been supplied from nearby Yinchuan,[7] and still retains good transport links with the capital of Ningxia.
The Alxa Baraghun Hiid, a large Mongol Buddhist monastery was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution but rebuilt in 2001. The Yanfu Buddhist temple has survived as one of the old Mongol town landmarks.[8]