long-edge opening satchels (Q915)

Square or rectangular bags, often of a stiff leather or hide, with a flap which encloses the open edge and usually with a long strap by which it could be carried over the shoulder or hung from pegs set in the wall of a library, a well-attested middle-eastern practice. The open edge of a rectangular satchel could be on either a short or a long edge. The orientation of the satchel should therefore be described (short-edge opening or long-edge opening).