According to Genesis, Noah built Noah's Ark. Genesis presents Noah as a righteous man whom God instructed to construct a large vessel before a catastrophic flood.
The account says Noah built the Ark from gopher wood and coated it with pitch to make it watertight. He was told to bring aboard his wife, his sons, his sons' wives, and representatives of the animals.
Noah is also central to the story after the flood. When the waters receded, he left the Ark, built an altar, and received a covenant from God. The rainbow became its sign.
The Ark story appears in Genesis chapters 6–9. It is distinct from later flood traditions, including the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, although scholars often compare their shared flood motifs.