1. (

• Persia ,
• Persian_Empire

) an empire in southern Asia created by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC and destroyed by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC ;

2. (

• Iran ,
• Islamic_Republic_of_Iran ,
• Persia

) a theocratic Islamic republic in the Middle East in western Asia; Iran was the core of the ancient empire that was known as Persia until 1935; rich in oil ;