Elephants

[Cyrene]

Which Building do i need to recruit an elephant unit? can i recruit them in the early era campaign?

[Astarte]

I think only Timurids may have elephants in their roster, and not even sure about that. But you can recruit elephants from Persia and near it as mercenaries. They come avaivable pretty lately, somewhere after 1300 and cost to maintain.

[PapaRosario]

Some elephant mercs become available in 1200. Others become available around 1250. But yeah, they cost 2250 upkeep. So it's kind of an "I have so much money, I don't know what to do with it" unit.

[Astarte]

Really? I have only found elephants manned by arquebusemen, and I thought they are always pretty late weapons.

And for OP, you can check where to find elephants from here:
http://www.pressdat.com/mtw2/Mercs/Elephants.html

And I dont have too much money in my Castille migration campaing, but I try to collect atleast 5 elephant units I later bring back to europe

[PapaRosario]

That's what it says in the merc file.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

pool Arabia
regions Baghdad_Province Mosul_Province Medina_Province Qarisiya_Province Basra_Province Mecca_Province Al-Mu'miniya_Province Ahvaz_Province
unit Bedouin Cavalry exp 1 cost 415 replenish 0.04 - 0.13 max 2 initial 0 religions { islam }
unit Bedouin Camel Riders exp 2 cost 435 replenish 0.04 - 0.13 max 2 initial 0 religions { islam }
unit Kwarizmian Cavalry exp 1 cost 755 replenish 0.08 - 0.25 max 3 initial 0 end_year 1400 events { mongols_invasion_warn }
unit Ghazis exp 1 cost 100 replenish 0.18 - 0.5 max 4 initial 1 religions { islam } crusading
unit Mutatawwi'a exp 1 cost 60 replenish 0.08 - 0.25 max 3 initial 1 religions { islam } crusading
unit Turkomans Mercs exp 1 cost 425 replenish 0.06 - 0.18 max 2 initial 0 religions { islam }
unit Elephants exp 1 cost 2475 replenish 0.02 - 0.04 max 1 initial 0 events { gunpowder_discovered }
unit Afghan Javelinmen exp 1 cost 330 replenish 0.02 - 0.06 max 1 initial 0 religions { islam }
unit Mercenary Saracens exp 0 cost 420 replenish 0.06 - 0.18 max 2 initial 0 start_year 1240
unit Hashishim Mercenaries exp 0 cost 320 replenish 0.03 - 0.09 max 1 initial 0 start_year 1200

pool Persia
regions Mashhad_Province Ray_Province Isfahan_Province Shiraz_Province Sharjah_Province Gorgan_Province Konjikala_Province Yazd_Province Damghan_Province Alamut_Province
unit merc galley, exp 1 cost 200 replenish 0.36 - 1.0 max 2 initial 1 religions { islam } crusading
unit merc galley, exp 1 cost 1040 replenish 0.04 - 0.13 max 1 initial 1
unit Kwarizmian Cavalry exp 1 cost 755 replenish 0.06 - 0.18 max 2 initial 0 end_year 1400 events { mongols_invasion_warn }
unit Ghazis exp 1 cost 100 replenish 0.18 - 0.5 max 4 initial 1 religions { islam } crusading
unit Mutatawwi'a exp 1 cost 60 replenish 0.08 - 0.25 max 3 initial 1 religions { islam } crusading
unit Turkomans Mercs exp 1 cost 425 replenish 0.06 - 0.18 max 2 initial 0 religions { islam }
unit Elephants exp 1 cost 2475 replenish 0.04 - 0.08 max 1 initial 0 events { gunpowder_discovered }
unit Afghan Javelinmen exp 1 cost 330 replenish 0.02 - 0.06 max 1 initial 0 religions { islam }
unit Hashishim Mercenaries exp 0 cost 320 replenish 0.03 - 0.09 max 1 initial 0 start_year 1200

pool Persia2
regions Kerman_Province
unit Kwarizmian Cavalry exp 1 cost 755 replenish 0.02 - 0.4 max 1 initial 0 end_year 1400 events { mongols_invasion_warn }
unit Ghazis exp 1 cost 100 replenish 0.04 - 0.08 max 2 initial 1 religions { islam } crusading
unit Mutatawwi'a exp 1 cost 60 replenish 0.02 - 0.4 max 1 initial 1 religions { islam } crusading
unit Turkomans Mercs exp 1 cost 425 replenish 0.02 - 0.4 max 1 initial 0 religions { islam }
unit Elephants exp 1 cost 2475 replenish 0.04 - 0.08 max 1 initial 0 start_year 1200
unit Afghan Javelinmen exp 1 cost 330 replenish 0.02 - 0.06 max 1 initial 0 religions { islam }

[Strengelicher]

Didn't the Fatimids (Egypt) have elephants on their roster, at least in vanilla? Can't verify for SS right now, as I am not at home.

[Vissewalde rex de Gerzika]

Didn't the Fatimids (Egypt) have elephants on their roster, at least in vanilla? Can't verify for SS right now, as I am not at home.

Maybe as mercs in custom battles and in specific regions, but i doubt that they would be available as recruitment from buildings.

[PapaRosario]

Egypt does not have elephants available for recruitment for campaign for either SS or Vanilla. They are available for custom battles though in SS because they are a merc unit as BW said. But they are available for every faction for custom battles in SS.

[Paragon]

http://www.pressdat.com/mtw2/Mercs/Elephants.html

They are units for the Timurids and mercenaries on the Persia and Arabia areas. It's rare to find them as a Chirstian nation.