He can't see ahead or behind him in total darkness. He walks the first, second and third double hours in total darkness and struggles to breathe in the hot darkness. He walks four, five and six double hours with the north wind blowing in his face. As the eleventh double hour approaches, the darkness begins to fade. At the end of the twelfth double hour, Gilgamesh emerges from the tunnel into the sweet morning air and sunlight. Enter a beautiful garden full of fruits and leaves in the colors of carnelian, rubies and other jewels. Beyond the garden the sea shimmers. (Gilgamesh 31) this quote shows the symbolism of death and rebirth. When it is dark, Gilgamesh's evil emotions begin to fade. The color black in Mesopotamian culture represents death, according to academia.edu. The color black, also known as ṣalmu “was considered inauspicious and associated with night, darkness and shadow” (Sinclair). The color white was known as BABBAR or peṣu and was “Equivalent in value to the color white and was used to describe the concepts of light, radiance, brilliance, splendor, sanctity, ritual purity and occasionally colorlessness.” (Sinclair) So it can It must be said that, according to a cultural understanding of colors and meaning, symbolism cannot be far away. Gilgamesh is remembered for good things, even if he wasn't all that virtuous to begin with. Why this quote is important is to understand the metaphor