In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim builds a vessel to survive a divinely sent flood. The flood episode appears in Tablet XI, where Utnapishtim recounts his story to Gilgamesh.
The god Ea warns Utnapishtim of the coming destruction and instructs him to build a large boat. Utnapishtim brings aboard his family, craftsmen, animals, and valuable possessions. After the flood, the vessel comes to rest on Mount Nimush in the standard version of the epic.
The account includes several details that resemble the Genesis narrative, including a flood survivor, a boat, birds sent out after the waters, and a sacrifice after landing. Scholars study these similarities within the wider tradition of ancient Near Eastern flood literature rather than treating the two texts as identical.
Utnapishtim is not the same character as Noah, although both serve as flood survivors in their respective traditions. Gilgamesh is the epic’s questing king, Enkidu is his companion, and Shamash is a sun god. Those names belong to the Mesopotamian story, not to Genesis.