In the Epic of Gilgamesh, who builds the boat that survives the great flood?

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim builds the boat that survives the great flood. The god Ea warns him of the coming disaster and instructs him to construct a large vessel and preserve life.

Utnapishtim’s story appears on Tablet XI of the standard Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. He loads his family, craftsmen, animals, and other living things onto the boat. After the flood, he sends out birds to discover whether the waters have receded.

The episode is one of several ancient Near Eastern flood narratives that resemble the story of Noah’s Ark in broad structure. The traditions are not identical: names, divine motivations, boat descriptions, and aftermaths differ. Atrahasis is another flood hero from Mesopotamian literature, which is why that name is a plausible but incorrect answer here.