But Transylvania was also ruled from Alba Iulia during its dependence from the Ottoman Empire , and the seat of the Transylvanian Diet was moved to Sibiu for some time in the 19th century . Cluj-Napoca is today considered to be the region 's spiritual capital , although Transylvania was also ruled from Alba Iulia during its period as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire , and from Sibiu , where the Habsburg governor was located from 1711 to 1848 . The seat of the Transylvanian Diet was itself moved to Sibiu for some time in the 19th century .