Altanbulag, Selenge

Altanbulag District

Алтанбулаг сум
ᠠᠯᠲᠠᠨᠪᠤᠯᠠᠭᠰᠤᠮᠤ
Altanbulag District Алтанбулаг сум; ᠠᠯᠲᠠᠨᠪᠤᠯᠠᠭᠰᠤᠮᠤ
UTC+8 (UTC + 8)
Climate	Dwb

Altanbulag (

sum (district) of Selenge Province in northern Mongolia. It is located about 25 km from the provincial capital of Sükhbaatar, on the border with Russia opposite the town of Kyakhta

. Altanbulag is the location of the Altanbulag Free Trade Zone (Алтанбулаг худалдааны чөлөөт бүс, Altanbulag qudaldaany çölööt büs).

History

Altanbulag began as a trading outpost across the Kyakhta River from the Russian town of Kyakhta during Qing rule of Mongolia in 1730. The name of that city was called Maimaicheng (Mongolian: Худалдаачин, English: City of Buying and Selling) at the first and later renamed to Kyakhta (Mongolian: Khiagt). Also people used other names such as "Mongolian Khyahta" and "Southern Kyakhata".

The twin towns of Kyakhta and Maimaicheng can be seen on this 1851 map, on the shortest route from Irkutsk to Peking

Following the

resident

.

On 13 March 1921, a

Roman Ungern von Sternberg and later formed the Mongolian People's Republic

in 1924.

Names

Today, the town is known as Altanbulag in both the Mongolian and Buryat languages.

During the Qing dynasty, the town was known as Maimachen (Mongolian: Наймаа хот (Худалдаачин), Naimaa khot, Наймаачин (Худалдаачин), Naimaachin, Маймаа хот, imaa khot, Маймаачин, Maimaachin, etc.; Маймачен in Russian), City of Buying and Selling in English) which derived from the Chinese name Mǎimàichéng. In Mongolian, it was known as Övör Khiagt (Өвөр Хиагт, South Kyakhta).