In the Epic of Gilgamesh, how many hours does Gilgamesh’s journey through Mount Mashu’s tunnel take?

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh’s journey through Mount Mashu’s tunnel takes twelve double-hours.

The measurement appears after the scorpion-men permit Gilgamesh to enter the mountain passage. The tunnel is presented as an extraordinary route with no ordinary daylight, and the text marks the journey through a sequence of double-hours before Gilgamesh reaches the far side.

After emerging, Gilgamesh enters a remarkable landscape associated with the garden of the gods. He then reaches the dwelling of Siduri, the tavern keeper, who directs him toward Urshanabi and the Waters of Death. This episode forms part of Gilgamesh’s search for Utnapishtim and the secret of escaping mortality.

The phrase can be confusing because the epic uses ancient time units rather than a modern clock. Twelve double-hours represent a complete day-and-night cycle in the story’s symbolic journey, but the wording of the epic is specifically “twelve double-hours.”