Ruqaiya Sultana Begum (Persian: رقیه سلطان بیگم; also spelled as Ruqayya, Ruqayyah) (1542 – 19 January 1626) was an Empress of the Mughal Empire. She was the first wife of Emperor Akbar.[2][3][4][5] She was also the longest serving Mughal empress having a tenure of over 49 years.[6]