Genesis names gopher wood as the main building material for Noah’s Ark.
Genesis 6:14 instructs Noah to make the Ark from “gopher wood” and to cover it inside and outside with pitch. The Hebrew term is unusual and its exact botanical meaning is uncertain, so many translations preserve the phrase rather than identifying a modern tree species.
This uncertainty creates a common mix-up: some retellings replace gopher wood with cedar, cypress, or another familiar timber. Those identifications are interpretations or artistic choices, not a clear specification in the Genesis text.
The same verse also mentions rooms or compartments and pitch for waterproofing. These details describe the Ark as a large constructed vessel within the biblical narrative, while not providing enough evidence to identify a confirmed archaeological boat.