君士坦丁堡曾是拜占庭帝国的文化和政治中心。

___Constantinople was the cultural and political center of the Byzantine Empire.

这座古老的城市曾是亚洲的文明中心，被人誉为东方的君士坦丁堡。

This ancient city was once the cultural hub of Asia, hailed as the Eastern ___Constantinople.