The main religion in Azerbaijan, including the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic as an integral part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is Islam. The spreading process of Islam in Nakhchivan was begun in the wake of conquest in the second half of the VII century by the Arabic armies. The foundation of the Turk-Islam culture, which has endowed the entire world with the famous people and unique art works, was laid down by virtue of the influx of Seljuk Turks into region barring the Arabic influence from XI onwards.

Azerbaijan Safavids state (1501-1736) established in 1501 was struggling with Ottoman state sharing common religious and national legacy. The Safavids adopting the Shiite sect as an official religion propagated it to its subjects. The Shiite belief was shaped in Nakhchivan as result of state policy of the Safavids.

The raising of Persian factor and persianisation of the bureaucracy gradually paved the way for important sociological results. The most important one among them was that putting up social resistance to the persianisation process within the state the founder nation could preserve the religious peculiarities and national identity against this process. The Shiite conception in Azerbaijan, including Nakhchivan, is more different than the notion in Iran due to just this reason. Consequently, ethnic difference alongside religious unity with neighboring Iran and religious difference alongside ethnic unity with Turkey lead to unique formation of religious life without influence of the external factors. There has never been any bloody clash of sects in Azerbaijan, including Nakhchivan. Moreover, tolerance towards the representatives of other religions has been far-reaching.

From the invasion of Azerbaijan by Soviet Russia in 1920 onwards the religion was banned and removed from social life, and the devout were repressed. Throughout the Soviet Union period, during which the main aim was to form an atheist society, the temples were misused and only few of them were kept symbolically.

The social and political developments of the late 80s and 90s of the previous century gave a push to religious and national revival concomitantly. The moral renaissance in independent Azerbaijan is directly linked to the activities of National Leader Heydar Aliyev. Along with the improvement of the political, economic and military potential of the independent state, the National Leader did not deny his attention and support to the religion as one of the principal factors for the existence of state and nation.

At present, the issues regarding the strengthening of the spiritual-moral basis of the society, preserving and development of the humanist potential and traditions of national culture come into agenda, the interest towards religion in general and its basic principles rouses, and the role of religious traditions in social development is given a new meaning. By utilizing positive potential of religious-spiritual values in contemporary times, the cooperation opportunities among the nations can be broadened.

The purposeful policy in this field initiated by Heydar Aliyev, then the Chairman of the Supreme Assembly of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, is successfully pursued by the current leadership of the autonomous republic.

The Office upon the Work with Religious Bodies was established in the autonomous republic in order to ensure freedom of belief in democratic and secular state, to prevent the regional spreading of the harmful religious sects financed by foreign capital and to educate the people. The religious bodies intending to function legally can be engaged with religious activities registering in this Office.

Even though the "active" devout, namely people keeping order with all religious principles, are in minor, almost all consider themselves as Muslim and abide by the religious principles and traditions.

In recent years, many destroyed religious monuments, temples and sanctuaries were being presented to the Nakhchivani devout after restoration works. This process is currently being continued.

The holy Qurban and Ramadan holidays are widely celebrated in Nakhchivan as in entire Muslim world.