Since 1111, the Seljuk sultan Muhammad I Tapar had directed a series of attacks on Antioch and the County of Edessa, which were both established in 1098 by Frankish crusading lords and their followers.

Jealous that their authority would be diminished if the Sultan's forces proved victorious, several Syrian Muslim princes allied themselves with the Latins.

Roger sent spies to observe his enemy's movements, gathered provisions for his army and put his principality into a state of defense.

His 2,000-man army, which included both knights and infantry, assembled 20 km (12 mi) northeast of Antioch at Jisr al-Hadid, a bridge over the Orontes River.

[4] Bursuq's forces soon closed around Roger's armed camp, attempting to lure the Antiochenes and their allies into a premature attack.

Such was the eagerness of the Frankish knights to close with their enemies that Roger threatened to put out the eyes of any man who sallied out of the camp without permission.

Roger based his army 40 km (25 mi) south of Antioch at the castle of Rugia, at a bridge on the Orontes near Jisr al-Shughur, Syria.

Early on September 14, Roger received intelligence that his opponents were carelessly going into camp at the Tell Danith watering point, near Sarmin.

The Turkish general withdrew in the face of Baldwin's advance, indicating that the King of Jerusalem may have achieved superiority in numbers, or at least parity.

[3] Roger mustered 2,000 in the spring, but, without support from his recent Christian and Muslim allies, he may have called up a larger army for his fall campaign, perhaps 3,000 men.