Noah built the ark before the great flood in the Book of Genesis.
Genesis presents Noah as a righteous man chosen by God to survive a flood that would destroy life on Earth. He is instructed to build a large vessel from gopher wood and bring aboard his family and representatives of the animals.
The ark story appears in Genesis chapters 6–9. Noah’s role is central not only because he constructs the vessel, but also because he follows the instructions, releases birds to test whether the waters have receded, and receives a covenant after leaving the ark.
Noah is also an important figure in the Quran and later Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, although details differ among the traditions. The Genesis account does not describe him as a shipbuilder by profession; it describes him specifically as the person commanded to build the ark.