  Here we report on observations of powerful hydroxyl (OH) line emissions that
trace the obscuring material within the circumnuclear environment of the galaxy
Markarian 231. The hydroxyl (mega)-maser emission shows the characteristics of
a rotating, dusty, molecular torus (or thick disk) located between 30 and 100
pc from the central engine. We now have a clear view of the physical
conditions, the kinematics and the spatial structure of this material on
intermediate size scales, confirming the main tenets of unification models.
