The story of Dhul-Qarnayn (in Arabic ذو القرنين, literally "The Two-Horned One"; also transliterated as Zul-Qarnain or Zulqarnain), mentioned in the Quran, has been hypothesized to be a reference to Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BC), popularly known as Alexander the Great. Some Western and traditional Muslim scholars identify Alexander the Great as Dhul-Qarnayn (Quran 18:83–94). However, other early Muslim scholars believe the story of Dhul-Qarnayn to be a reference to a pre-Islamic monarch from Persia or south Arabia. According to Maududi, modern Muslim scholarship also leans in favour of identifying the character with Cyrus the Great.