Constantinople, 500 year, 450 thousand inhabitants.
The current Turkish Istanbul, became the capital of the Roman Empire in 324. By the year 500, when the empire fell, it was the largest city on its wreckage. In 537, Emperor Justinian erected on this site the famous Cathedral of St. Sophia. By 700 the population of the city had decreased to 100 thousand people, but then it began to grow again. In the 18th century, Constantinople once again became one of the largest cities in the world.
