Utnapishtim is the Ark-like survivor in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the ancient Mesopotamian flood story.
In the eleventh tablet of the standard version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim tells Gilgamesh how the god Ea warned him of a devastating flood. Utnapishtim built a large boat, brought aboard living creatures and provisions, and survived when the waters overwhelmed the land.
The episode shares several motifs with Genesis, including a divine warning, a boat, preservation of life, birds sent out to find land, and a sacrifice after the waters recede. The two accounts are not identical, however, and they belong to different literary and religious traditions.
Atrahasis is another Mesopotamian flood hero from a related tradition. He is not the name used for the survivor in the Epic of Gilgamesh’s eleventh tablet.