All of these bagpipes employ animal skin for their bags, but what distinguishes the Żaqq is its unique bag form. It is made up of a full animal’s skin, including the legs and tail; the head is the only part that is absent. The ‘Żaqq’ makes an intriguing appearance when carried horizontally under the arm with the legs pointing up. In the past, a variety of animals, including goats, stillborn calves, dogs, and even big cats, were used to make bags. In keeping with various other bagpipes found in Eastern Europe, the bag is played with the hairy side facing out. By 1971, Toni Cachia, a man from the town of Naxxar, was the sole remaining active Żaqq player in Malta. 

It is important to note that the instrument has occasionally been referred to incorrectly as the “zapp” because of a spelling error in an English-language publication from 1939. The Maltese term “Żaqq” is derived from the Arabic word “ziqq,” which means “skin” as a container and means “sack” or “belly.”  Numerous folk music groups, like Etnika, are working to revive the instrument back into the local music scene.