In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim is the flood survivor who tells Gilgamesh about the great flood.
Utnapishtim appears in the epic's Tablet XI. He explains that the god Ea warned him to build a boat and preserve life before the gods sent a devastating flood. His story is one of the most important ancient Near Eastern flood narratives known today.
The episode has notable parallels with the Genesis account, including a divinely commanded vessel, preservation of living beings, birds sent out to test the waters, and a sacrifice after the flood. The parallels do not make the stories identical: names, divine characters, measurements, theology, and narrative details differ.
Utnapishtim is sometimes called the Babylonian Noah in comparisons, but that is a modern shorthand, not his name in the epic. He is also described as receiving immortality, a feature that distinguishes his fate from the biblical account's presentation of Noah.