| Doi Nang Non ดอยนางนอน | |
|---|---|
 The Doi Nang Non mountain range. When viewed from this angle, it is said to resemble alady lying on her back. | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Doi Tung |
| Elevation | 1,389 m (4,557 ft)[1] |
| Listing | List of mountain ranges in the world named The Sleeping Lady |
| Coordinates | 20°21′06″N99°50′30″E / 20.35167°N 99.84167°E /20.35167; 99.84167 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 30 km (19 mi) NNE/SSW |
| Width | 7 km (4.3 mi) WNW/ESE |
| Geography | |
  Doi Nang Non Thailand | |
| Location | Mae Sai District,Chiang Rai Province,Thailand |
| Parent range | Daen Lao Range |
| Geology | |
| Rock type | Limestone |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | FromMae Sai orMae Chan |
Doi Nang Non (Thai:ดอยนางนอน,pronounced[dɔ̄ːjnāːŋnɔ̄ːn]; 'Mountain of the Sleeping Lady') is a mountain range in theThai highlands inChiang Rai Province,Thailand. It is akarstic formation with numerous waterfalls and caves rising at the southern end of theDaen Lao Range. Part of its area is managed as theTham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park (Thai:วนอุทยานถ้ำหลวง-ขุนน้ำนางนอน).
Doi Nang Non consists of a long hill tract that lies on the west side of the highway betweenChiang Rai and Mae Sai. The greater part of the range is inMae Sai District, extending west and southwest ofPong Pha along the border withMyanmar.[2] The mountain range is an unusual land feature when seen from certain angles as its silhouette takes the shape of a reclining woman with long hair. Its highest point isDoi Tung, which corresponds to the belly of the lady.[1]
There are a number of caves and underground water courses in the range area.
In 1986 an eight km2 sector of the range which included the entrance to the main cave was declared the Tham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park.[7]
On 23 June 2018, a group of twelve boys aged between 11 and 16, who went to explore Tham Luang Nang Non with their assistant football coach, aged 25, went missing. The group was found 10 days later. They were part of a local junior football team. The cave they entered became flooded. Thai Navy SEAL divers had been searching the caves ever since.[8] Owing to heavy rain which further flooded the cave entrance, searches were periodically interrupted.[9]Thai NAVY divers soon got help from American, Australian, British, and Chinese divers, military members, and emergency personnel.[10][11]
The group was found alive on Monday evening, 2 July, according to a press release at 22:30. All 12 boys along with their coach were reported alive.[12][13] They were found by British volunteer divers around 400 metres away from a spot nicknamed "Pattaya Beach", an elevated mound in the cave.[14] Food and medical supplies were delivered but a three-hour-long journey, continued rains and mountainous terrain above the cave delayed their escape.[13] On 8 July at 19:00 four of the boys had been rescued.[15] By 10 July at 19:00, all of the boys and their coach had been rescued from the cave.[16]
One of the legends goes that in ancient times a beautiful princess fell in love with a stable boy and became pregnant. Knowing their love was forbidden, they fled and went in the cave to rest. When the boy went in search of food, he was caught by the princess's father's army and killed. The distraught princess stabbed herself to death and the legend says her blood became the water that flows through the cave, while her body is the surrounding mountains, said to look like a sleeping woman.[17]
Some of the caves in the hill area have been developed as a tourist attraction. There is a viewpoint atMae Chan District, from where the "sleeping lady" can best be observed.[18] Local tour guides joke that Doi Nang Non would be "the highest mountain in the world", if only the supposed lady would get up and stand on her feet.[citation needed]
| Tham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non National Park in overview PARO 15 (Chiang Rai) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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