The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate (2007) by Ted Chiang, follows a fabric merchant of the ancient city of Baghdad that one day discovers gateways to travel to the future and the past. An original take of a well-known SF trope – and a fascinating reading by a Chinese-American author that has won an impressive array of awards with just short-stories. This one got both the 2008 Hugo and Nebula Award for Best Novelette.
