The żaqq (with the definite article: iż-żaqq) stands as the predominant form of Maltese bagpipes. Historically, the instrument was closely linked with Maltese folk festivals.^[1]

The utilization of the żaqq in everyday life ceased by the 1970s, potentially supplanted by the accordion earlier in the century. By 1977, the Galpin Society reported just nine traditional pipers remaining in Malta, with the last among them, Toni “l-Hammarun” Cachia, passing away in 2004. Efforts to revive the instrument persist through initiatives by various folk music ensembles such as Etnika.^[3]

It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the zapp due to a spelling error in a 1939 English-language publication. The Maltese word żaqq literally means “sack” or “belly” and derives from Arabicziqq( “skin” [as a receptacle]). It is sometimes stated that żaqq derives from Italian zampogna but this is not the case. ≤≥±