Utnapishtim is the Mesopotamian flood survivor most closely parallel to Noah in the Epic of Gilgamesh.
In the flood tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim to build a large boat and preserve living beings from a catastrophic flood. Utnapishtim later releases birds to discover whether the waters have receded. These elements create a strong parallel with the Genesis account of Noah’s Ark.
The stories are not identical. Utnapishtim’s boat is described with different dimensions, and the surrounding mythology includes several gods and a different narrative framework. The Epic of Gilgamesh also belongs to the Mesopotamian literary tradition and survives in versions written in Akkadian, while Genesis is part of the Hebrew Bible.
Scholars compare the accounts because both share ancient Near Eastern flood motifs, not because every detail or character has a one-to-one match. Utnapishtim is the specific name sought in the Gilgamesh tradition.