[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.