Some lepers I abandoned in ancient land (6)
I believe the answer is:
persia
'ancient land' is the definition.
'some lepers i abandoned' is the wordplay.
'some' indicates a hidden word (some of the parts of the word are used).
'PERSIA' can be found hidden inside 'lepers i abandoned'.
'in' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for persia that I've seen before include "It's now known as Iran" , "Iran, formerly" , "Praise be to ancient Iran" , "Aspire to this old country" , "Old name for country at 25 Across" .)