Who built the Ark in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Mesopotamian flood story?

Utnapishtim built the Ark in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Mesopotamian flood story.

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim that the gods intend to send a devastating flood. Utnapishtim follows the instructions to build a large boat, preserve life, and survive the catastrophe. Afterward, he becomes an immortal figure and later tells Gilgamesh about the flood.

Utnapishtim is not the same character as Noah, although the two stories share major motifs: divine warning, a specially built vessel, preservation of humans and animals, and a flood followed by testing whether the waters have receded. The Mesopotamian account is preserved in cuneiform tablets and is part of the longer Gilgamesh tradition.

Gilgamesh is the king and heroic seeker who hears Utnapishtim’s story; he is not the Ark builder. Enkidu is Gilgamesh’s companion, while Hammurabi was a historical Babylonian king from a different period.