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| Pişirici Kastel |   |
The "kastel" (fountain) used to be part of a bigger group of buildings, and it is thought to have been built in 1282. "Kastels" are water fountains built below ground, and they are structures peculiar to Gaziantep. They are places for ablution, prayer, washing and relaxation. "Kastels" are usually built in association with a mosque or "külliye" (Ottoman-Islamic social complex attached to a mosque). Only found in Gaziantep, these fountains occupy an important position in the life of the city as places to refresh oneself.
This is the oldest kastel in Gaziantep surviving to the present. It is also the kastel having the most comprehensive function, serving as a pool, a "mescit" (place of prayer), a place people visit to wish or pray for something, bathing/washing corner and toilet. The pool has two reservoirs connected to each other by conduits. The main room containing the pool is surrounded by small rooms. In the centre of the cavetto vault over the pool room, there is a round window providing light and ventilation. The "mescit" is partially carved out of the surrounding rock.
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