History of Plovdiv it was re-conquered by George Terter II of Bulgaria in 1322. Byzantine rule was restored once again in 1323, but in 1344 the city was surrendered to Bulgaria by the regency for John V Palaiologos as the price for Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria's support in the Byzantine civil war. In 1364 the Ottoman Turks under Lala Shakhin Pasha seized Plovdiv. The Turks called the city "Filibe". It was the capital of Rumelia until 1382 when the Ottomans captured Sofia, which became the main city of the province. Plovdiv survived as one of the major cultural centers for Bulgarian culture and
Plovdiv Province capital is the city of Plovdiv; other towns include Karlovo, Sopot, Klisura, Kalofer, Hisarya, Saedinenie, Rakovski, Brezovo, Stamboliyski, Krichim, Perushtitsa, Sadovo, Parvomay, Asenovgrad, Laki, Katunica, Yiagodovo. Plovdiv Province had a population of 715,904 (715,816 also given) according to a 2001 census, of which were male and were female. As of the end of 2009, the population, announced by the Bulgarian National Statistical Institute, numbered 701,684 of which are over 60 years of age. The following table represents the change of the population in the province after World War II: Total population (2011 census): 683 027<br> Ethnic groups (2011 census): Identified