Bayankhongor Province

**Bayankhongor** (, literally *Rich Darlin*) is ane o the 21 aimags (provinces) o Mongolie. It is locatit in the soothwast o the kintra, an at 116,000 square kilometre it is ane o themucklest aimags. The caipital o the aimag shares its name o Bayankhongor.

## History
Bayankhongor aimag wis formit in 1941 wi the establishment o the Bayankhongor Citizen's Assembly. Thare wur oreeginally 16 Bayankhongor Aurie Sums an aboot 41 thoosan fowk in the aimag. The aimag wis oreeginally namit *Govi-Bumbugur*, housomeivver it wis suin chyngit tae Bayankhongor.

In Aprile 1976, Bayankhongor wis awairdit the ootstaundin Reid awaird for fermstockin, meat, an oo production. The aimag haed substantial investment frae the umwhile USSR includin infrastructur an eddication. Housomeivver, the USSR systematically destroyed the releegion an heritage o the aimag, purgin famous monasteries sic as the Geegin Monastery an killin thoosans o monks.

The *[[zud]]*, or great storm, o the early 2000s devastatit Bayankhongor’s livestock an tharefore economy. The *zud* forcit social chynge in the aimag an aw syne fewer fowk nou rely on herdin as a major soorce o income an mair fowk hae muivit tae the aimag caipital in sairch o wirk. Oot o the tot aimag population estimatit at 80,000, somewhare atween 25-35,000 fowk live in the caipital ceety.

## Geografie
The Bayankhongor aimag includes vera diverse geografic auries. It is teepically dividit intae three auries: the muntainous an firthit Khangai in the north, the central steppe region, an the arid Gobi Desert in the sooth. 

Bayankhongor contains twa muntain ranges, the Khangai Muntains in the north an the Gobian Altai Muntains in the central region. Ikh Bogd, the aimag’s tawest muntain at 3957 meters, is pairt o the Gobian Altai range an is locatit ootside o Bogd sum.

The lairgest lakes in Bayankhongor are Orog Nuur an Böön Tsagaan Nuur, which are foond in the central semi-desert region o the aimag (Lakes Valley atween Khangai an Gobian Altai ranges), as are several ither lakes. Due tae the surroondin muntain auries the lakes in Lakes valley hae nae drainage an are tharefore salty.

Khangai in the north contains several het an cauld mineral springs. Shargaljuut, a toun aboot 54&nbsp;km north o the aimag caipital, boasts ower 300 springs an haes developit a popular resort tae tak advantage o this naitural featur. The mineral watters o the various springs are uised bi the local fowk tae treat a variety o ailments. Furthermair, thare a haunfou o genuine oases in the sooth o the province, maist o which are in the Shinejinst aurie. The maist famous oasis, Ekhiin-Gol, wis ance hame tae the Lama Dambijant or Ja Lama, an early 20t-century revolutionary turned bandit.

## Wildlife
Bayankhongor aimag boasts a diverse wildlife population, awtho, unfortunately, mony o thaim are endangered. Maugre protectit auries in the aimag, the populations o ainimals sic as the snaw leopard, lang-eared jerboa, Mongolie wild ass, an wild Bactrian camels are rapidly diminishin. The Gobi bear population is estimatit at less nor 50 ainimals. On the ither haund, Bayankhongor residents hae been heard tae say that the aimag haes the maist marmots oot o ony aimag. The middle salt lake depression plane, pairticularly auries lik *[[Boon Tsaagan Nuur]]* an *[[Orog Nuur]]* are excellent birdin auries wi endangered birds lik the Dalmatie Pelican an Relict Gull. Baith o thir lakes are protectit throuch the World Ramsar Convention for Wildlife Diversity. Domesticatit ainimals in Bayakhongor include Bactrain Camels, sheep, gaits, yaks, cous, an a yak-cou hybrid cried a ''khainag''.

## Attractions
The attractions o Bayankhongor vary frae the naitural (Gobi Bears) tae the manmade (Chess Stanes o Erdentsogt), frae the auld (stane drawins in Bayan Lig) tae the aulder (dinosaur bones in Bugiin Tsav). Syne the aimag contains aw three major geografic zones o Mongolie (forest, steppe, an desert) it is a great place tae commune wi natur.

### Museums
Thare are twa museums in the aimag caipital, a History an Ethnographical Museum an a Museum o Natural History. The History an Ethnographical Museum contains exhibits frae traditional nomadic life sic as information on weddins, ger life, an traditional claes. It haes some interestin airtifacts frae Bayankhongor durin Manchu Rule an aw, an releegious exhibits includin a pair o famous Green an White Tara statues, the Jadamba Sutras, an shaman robes. The Museum o Natural History contains various mineral specimens for the aimag sic as marble an volcanic rock, as well as various stuffit endemic ainimals. The heichlichts o the museum are the complete skelet o a Tarbosaurus dinosaur an a 130 million year auld fossil o a turtle diskivert in the Bugiin Tsav (Bugiin Ravine) in the Gobi Desert.

### Pairks
The aimag caipital haes a few pairks, namely the Dinosaur Pairk an the Childer’s Pairk. The Dinosaur Pairk consists o models o the mony dinosaur species foond in the sooth o the province. Thare is a model ger open tae visitors an aw. The Childer’s Pairk, laith the name, is a natur pairk wi scenic pathswas an endemic trees an plants. The Tuil Gol (*gol* meanin river in Mongolie) runnin alangside the toun maks for excellent picnic grunds, an Ikh Nomgun Muntain serves as a somewha challengin day climb.

Thare are mony protectit auries in Bayankhongor an aw (see abuin).

### Monasteries
Thoch the famous monasteries o Bayankhongor war aw destroyed during the Soviet purges, syne Mongolie’s unthirldom in 1990, thare haes been a flurry o rebuilding an reconnecting wi the aurie’s Buddhist heritage.

Thare twa monasteries in the aimag caipital, Bayankhongor. The hale toun surrounds a sacred hill on which it is forbidden tae big. Atop the hill sits a giant stupa o some significance, an thare is a sma monastery wi aboot 10 resident monks at the base o the hill. The ither, lairger monastery is cried Lamyn Gegeenii Gon Gandan Dedlin Khiid, an wis biggit in 1991. The oreeginal monastery bi this name wis locatit aboot 30&nbsp;km athoot o the ceety ad wis hame tae ower 10,000 monks an lamas makkin it ane o the mucklest an maist prominent monasteries in the coonty. Housamever, the biggins war demolished an the monks killt or forced tae renounce thair vows bi the communist govrenment in 1937. The current monastery is hame tae aboot 50 monks, an features a giant statue o Sakyamuni Buddha an Twa Green an White Tara statues modeled efter the twa in the History an Ethnographical Museum o Bayankhongor.

Amarbuyant Khiid, locatit 50&nbsp;km wast o Shinejist, ance housit the 13t Dalai Lama an ower 1000 monks.  His holiness the 13th Dalai Lama stayed thare for 10 days in 1904 durin a journey frae Lhasa tae Urga. While visitin, he biggit a smaw *[[ovoo]]* that remains amang the ruins o the monastery, that wis destroyed alang wi Gegeen Monastery in 1937 durin the communist purges. The gradual restoration process o the complex began in the 1990s efter the communist regime fell.

### Protectit Auries
Thare twa protectit auries in Bayankhongor. The Gobi A: Strictly Protected Areas in the sooth borders Cheenae an Omnogovi aimag. In it live mony endangered species sic as the Gobi Bear an the Zam Gecko. The seicont aurie is the Gobi Gurvansaikhan Naitional Pairk, that is kent for its extensive fossil steids, iconic saund dunes, ice canyon, an stunnin muntain scenery no tae mention the ower 200 bird species an 600 types o plants. Baith o thir auries are popular tourist destinations baith for foreigners an Mongolies.

### Stane Drawins an Fossils
 
Tsagaan Agui (White Cave) ance housed Stone Age fowk approximately 700,000 years ago. Accordin tae researchers, its crystal-lined inner chamber wis a holy site for thir indwallers.

The nearby site o *Tsagaan Bulag* (White Stream) wis mibbe anither haly site for thir auncient men. On a white outcrop the faint drawings o figures are still visible. Thir figures, awtho human-lik, bear unusual features sic as massive lugs an misshaped haunds. Nzebody kens the origin o thir drawins.

*Bayangiin Nuruu* (tousie translated as Rich Mountainside) is anither site wi weel preserved stane engravings frae approximately 3000BCE. Awtho nae nearly as auncient as ither sites, Bayangiin Nuruu’s drawings are extensive an weel preserved, depicting scenes frae daily life.

Dinosaur fossils are an aa foond in the ravines an valleys o sootheastren Bayankhongor. Famous sites include *Bugiin Tsav*, *Yasnee Tsav*, an *Khermen Tsav*.

## Transportation
The Bayankhongor Airport (BVN/ZMBH) haes twa runwas, an is servit bi twa or three weekly flichts tae an frae Ulan Bator that vary frae saison tae saison. Thare are daily buses tae an frae Ulan Bator an aw (depairtin frae Dragon Center in Ulaanbaatar at 8am) that stap in the toun o Arvaikheer, as well as less regular buses wast taewart Gobi-Altai an Khovd aimags. Traivel tae sums is possible bi mikrobuses that gaither in the open mercat in the sooth o the aimag caipital.

## Admeenistrative Subdiveesion

* - The aimag caipital Bayankhongor

## References