Genesis says a door was placed in the side of Noah’s Ark.
Genesis 6:16 gives the Ark’s construction details and instructs Noah to place its door in the side. The same verse mentions a window or opening and three decks. The door is therefore part of the vessel’s original design, not a later addition described during boarding.
Genesis 7:16 later says that, after Noah and the animals entered, the Lord shut him in. This line has encouraged paintings and models that emphasize a large side entrance, although the biblical text does not give its dimensions, shape, or precise height.
Translations may render the Hebrew term as “door” or “doorway,” but the central detail is consistent: the entrance was located on the side of the Ark. “Gate” is a less precise answer because the passage describes a vessel entrance rather than a city or courtyard opening.